There has been a spate of armed robberies across MCSA properties over late Dec '23 and early Jan 2024. Three in total. Gang/s of 3-5 men. No one harmed.
The MCSA has closed their Magalies properties and are putting massive efforts into resolving the problem.
If you are not an MCSA member thus unaware and perhaps planning a trip there, or to other locales in the Magalies, do delay.
Edit:
Sorry to add…one of the techniques used by the thugs is to hold people hostage and presumably via their phones force them to EFT money from the bank accounts, emptying them out in effect.
Something to keep in mind for your own safety precautions, though how one can mitigate this I am not yet sure.
This has been a point of discussion between a number of us in recent times. The easiest solution is to either uninstall your banking app before you go to the outdoors, or when you get a new phone, don’t install your banking app on the new phone and use the old phone for banking - so you won’t generally have your banking apps on you when you’re in the outdoors or out in general (these incidents aren’t limited to the trails). You can also use a R100 phone for hiking and leave your main phone at home. Notably the muggers might not believe you that you don’t have access to your banking on your phone, so this approach can backfire.
I know some people intentionally carry some cash when they are hiking because of incidents where hikers have been beaten up or even stabbed by muggers as “punishment” for not carrying anything of value on them.
This article is a few years old now, but gives some insight into the thought process a mugger goes through, not that every mugger will be the same.
Thank you for sharing this important information. Safety should always be the top priority when planning outdoor activities, and being aware of potential risks in specific areas is crucial for making informed decisions.