Ballito woman robbed at knife-point at Thompson’s Bay, police fail to open case

A quiet, early morning beach visit turned ugly for a local woman when she was robbed at knife-point at Thompson’s Bay beach on Sunday morning.

The Ballito resident, who did not wish to be named, reported she was sitting on the beach watching the early morning sunrise and preparing to meditate when she was approached by an unknown man at around 7.30am at the little beach cove past the hole in the wall.

The man brandished a knife and demanded her cellphone and valuables before fleeing on foot.

The woman was terrified but not injured.

Also read: SURVEY: Have you been affected by crime on the Dolphin Coast this year?

Umhlali SAPS spokesperson, Captain Vinny Pillay said this was the first incident that had occurred in months but warned beachgoers to be vigilant and, where possible, visit the beaches in larger groups.

The traumatised woman went to the SAPS Umhlali shortly after the incident to report the case but said the officer on duty did not take a statement or issue her with a case number.

“I was able to recall a clear description of the suspect but was not asked to assist with compiling an identity kit.

“All that was done was for the police officer to give me a number for insurance purposes,” said the local woman.

The victim of the mugging said she had no anger towards her attacker or the police for the way they handled it.

“What I feel is enormous sadness.

“Sadness that we live in a world where men feel they have the right to treat women as they please, where people are so desperate that they claim things through violence that aren’t theirs and where cops are so burnt out and numbed out and powerless that a woman needs to be actually be bleeding or raped before it is seen as important,” she said.

Captain Pillay said they would investigate the complaint.

In January the Courier reported that a number of residents had complained about being ignored, discouraged and sent home from the Umhlali charge office.

At the time Umhlali SAPS station commander, Colonel Makhathini, condemned the actions of police officers who had been accused of turning away people who wanted to open criminal cases at her station.

She said that any case with criminal elements should be opened regardless of the time frame.

“We should be opening cases even if the incident took place a year ago because people are within their rights to do so even if they do not have a suspect. The point of a case is for police to investigate.”

When approached for comment on the crime rate at the beaches Ballito UIP security manager Dieter Fittkau said that part of the beach did not fall under the UIP precinct area (the UIP security patrols are concentrated on the Ballito promenade).

“As far as the UIP precinct area is concerned there have been no incidents that have occurred in the past few months,” said Fittkau.

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