Muizenberg police are investigating the robbery of a group of walkers on the Sunrise section of Muizenberg beach.
Image: File
Seven regular Friday morning walkers were robbed by two men on the Sunrise section of Muizenberg beach on Friday, September 25, with one of the group members sustaining a head injury.
Rob MacLean, who was part of the group, said he was struck over the head with a firearm and required 10 stitches for a wound above his right eye. Another member of the group was robbed of a wristwatch and wedding band.
The group, made up of four men, three women and a dog, has been walking together on Friday mornings for more than 10 years.
MacLean said they set out from the first traffic circle on the Muizenberg beachfront at about 7.30am and had been walking for about 40 minutes when the incident happened.
The incident happened approximately 1km east of the old False Bay Surf Lifesaving clubhouse.
MacLean said the two men had been waiting in the dunes before following and approaching the group.
He said the men demanded their belongings before the group was assaulted and robbed.
The two men then left over the dunes towards Baden-Powell Drive, walking in the direction of Strandfontein, according to MacLean.
He said the incident lasted approximately two to three minutes.
Acting Muizenberg station commander Lieutenant Colonel Delmore Manuel confirmed that a case of robbery with a firearm had been opened.
MacLean said he provided police with a description of the suspects and later identified one of them from a mugshot.
MacLean said the attack had changed how the group viewed the stretch of beach.
“We will no longer be walking on this stunningly beautiful stretch of beach again,” he said.
He said the group would suggest that others also avoid walking there unless police and the City’s Law Enforcement department introduce regular security patrols, with patrol times varied to avoid predictable patterns.
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