Mailbox: Daylight smash-and-grab leaves tourists stranded and unprotected

Key topics:Tourists’ car attacked in daylight smash-and-grab on N2 near Somerset West.Luggage with passports, phones, and laptops stolen; police issued no proper report.Guests now must get emergency travel documents from German Embassy/Consulate..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By K. Pepler.Dear Mr. Hogg, My cousin forwarded your interview you had with the Managing Director of Vergelegen Wine Estate.Yesterday afternoon, four of our guests coming to our guest house had a very unpleasant experience on the N2 which is between Stellenbosch and Somerset West on the R44. Two German couples who came as tourists and not for a medical congress (husbands are doctors) landed at the airport at 4pm and were supposed to arrive at our guest house in Stellenbosch/Somerset West at 6pm. They arrived at 8pm at our guest house after a harrowing experience. Just before 5.30pm, the rush hour traffic came to a standstill on the N2. 4 black individuals picked up a rock and smashed the hatchback of their car where the 2 couples had their luggage. One of the luggage items contained all their passports, documentation, mobile phones and laptops. This was taken in the smash and grab in full daylight, surrounded by other cars we're also in the traffic standstill. .Read more:.Smartphone thefts surge in SA as criminals target banking apps.They had to return to the airport and collect another rental car. They reported the incident to the police at the airport. They weren't given any documentation besides an A4 piece of paper simply taken out of a writing pad. No case number, no police officer's name, their rank nor police force number. No letterhead, absolutely nothing that indicated that it was supposed to be from a police station. I took the four affected guests to Waterstone Village this morning to purchase items from the pharmacy, the audiologist etc that were stolen. On Monday, they have an appointment with the German Embassy or Consulate to get emergency travel documents as everything of value was taken in the smash and grab. The Somerset West Police advised them to return to the police desk at the airport and get a proper declaration and a case number registered. No wonder these incidents are not officially "reported" as the police do not register the incidents when they are reported. .Yours Sincerely, K. Pepler.

Mailbox: Daylight smash-and-grab leaves tourists stranded and unprotected

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