Two women runners preparing for the greatly anticipated Two Oceans Marathon were allegedly confronted by three robbers, one of them wielding a panga, as they ran past the Imizamo Yethu Circle in Hout Bay last week.
The incident practically happened on the doorstep of the local police station and was shared in a call to raise awareness by the chair of the Fish Hoek Athletics Club (FHAC) on Facebook last week.
“I am deeply saddened to have to advise of an unfortunate and concerning incident that occurred at a recent Two Oceans club training run.
“Two of our members, Renate Reynecke and Theresa Parsraman, were attacked by three men in Hout Bay just past the circle at Imizamo Yethu.”
It further detailed that Reynecke had her backpack and cellphone stolen in the incident, “but both ladies fortunately escaped the harrowing incident without injury.”
Capt Tanya Lesch of Hout Bay Police Station said the incident had not been reported to police.
“Hout Bay police are investigating similar robbery cases,” she said. “The police are following up on all leads and tracing for the suspects has been done.”
Furthermore, the FHAC added that they would assess training routes to avoid crime hotspots and also regroup runners on active exercises when entering areas that may be of concern.
“However, it needs to be stated that every runner is responsible for their own personal safety, and (with the arbitrary nature of muggings in South Africa) the reality is that attacks can happen anywhere and at any time.”
While FHAC will take steps to minimise the risks on club runs, it reiterated that personal safety remained the responsibility of the individual runner.
“This changes in the case of races hosted by FHAC, where there is a responsibility on the club to provide security for entrants,” the chair remarked.
“It is a sad indictment on our society that we have to make this appeal, but we urge all our members to avoid crime hot spots when planning your training routes to be vigilant at all times, and (if possible) to train in groups to mitigate the potential risks,” the chair’s public announcement concluded.
As to the police’s ongoing crime prevention efforts on the Imizamo Yethu Circle and other hot spots, Lesch concluded: “The community and security providers in the area are also assisting with patrols.”
