Groenkloof two nabbed after attack on women
Victim says the two belong in prison.
Gopolang Chawane
Two of the men linked to the assault and robbery of two women in the Groenkloof nature reserve at the weekend have been arrested.
Taschia Slabbert and her mother were attacked, robbed and almost raped in the Groenkloof nature reserve on Saturday.
Slabbert said two of the men who robbed them on a Saturday trail hike were in police custody.
She received confirmation that one of the men was apprehended shortly after the on Saturday and the other one on Sunday.
Slabbert said she was called in by police to identify the first suspect and it was a positive match.
“I was told the second culprit was also arrested on Sunday,” she said.
Slabbert said police arrested the two men on a robbery charge, but that many other charges needed to be laid against the two.
“Attempted murder, attempted rape, theft and grievous bodily harm are some of the charges that need to be put behind these guys to ensure they don’t get out,” she said.
She said while on a trail hike she and her mother heard footsteps getting closer.
“We saw these guys who we thought were jogging to go past us,” she said.
The women unknowingly moved out of the way, but the men stopped right in front of them and demanded they hand over everything.
“Give, give, give… is all they kept saying,” she said.
They forced us to the ground and immediately took our belongings.
“I tried to fight them but they kept hurting us,” Slabbert said.
She told her mother to give the men her bag and after her mother did, she told the men to “f… off”.
“The men were going to kill and rape us if I didn’t fight. They attempted to take off my pants and almost stabbed me,” she said.
They took all of our belongings and fled.
She said her mother was struck on the head when they were walking back 2.4Km to seek help.
Slabbert said she and her mother later found a bag with their car keys.
“The scary part here is that even one of the security guys there was also assaulted,” she said.
A high-level security cluster was established to address the crime, not only in the reserve but also in the residential part of Groenkloof.
Tshwane MMC for economic development and planning, Subesh Pillay is to be the man spearheading the establishment of the security cluster scheduled for May 10.
A petition was sent to Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa last week urging him to step in before the situation worsened.
Over the past two years a number of visitors have fallen victim to attacks in the Groenkloof nature reserve, mostly at knifepoint with the most recent over the weekend and another last week.
Tshwane metro confirmed security measures had been upgraded at the reserve and a patrol team was monitoring the area.
“We have posted notices at the entrance of the resort to inform people to stay vigilant at all the times and to call our emergency numbers if they see anything suspicious at the reserve,” metro spokesperson Selby Bokaba said.
Also read:
Yet another attack at nature reserve
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