Two suspects have been arrested in connection with an attack on the R300, where a group of assailants stopped and robbed motorists by throwing stones at vehicles passing by on Saturday evening, causing a collision.
The City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith comments on the incident.
“This callous attack is symptomatic of an ongoing challenge on our roads. Fortunately, our officers were able to respond quickly and come to the aid of the motorists involved. I hope that the suspects in this case are prosecuted to the full extent of the law so that we can send a strong message that this type of criminality will not be tolerated.”
Metro Police officers responded to reports of stone-throwing taking place on the R300 between the N2 and Hindle Road.
Upon arrival, the officers found that two vehicles had been involved in an accident and an estimated group of 10 suspects were robbing the motorists.
Two suspects, aged 18 and 38, were arrested and the officers recovered a cellphone belonging to one of the motorists. The remaining eight suspects fled the scene.
One of the motorists says that he had swerved to avoid the stones being thrown and had collided with another vehicle. The second motorist was rushed to hospital for treatment.
Smith says the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) and the Western Cape Government have fallen short in their commitments to fence off the road along the N2 and R300.
“It’s also quite important that the media and the public place continuous pressure on the national roads agency and the relevant authorities to ensure proper fencing along the N2 and R300 as enforcement alone will not deal with this problem. Engineering solutions are desperately required to prevent people from accessing the road reserve. SANRAL and the Western Cape Government made commitments to address the fencing shortcomings, but this has yet to materialise.”
The Metro Police department has arrested 13 suspects for possession of drugs, theft, assault and drunk driving over the past week.
Cape Town Traffic services arrested 85 suspects and issued 653 fines for various offences.
“Of those arrested, 70 were caught driving under the influence; seven had outstanding warrants; seven more were charged with reckless and negligent driving; and one motorist was charged with crimen injuria.”
A taxi driver in Green Point was pulled over by the Ghost Squad on Sunday afternoon. A breathalyser test revealed the driver was 14 times over the legal limit and upon further investigation it was found he is wanted in connection with a murder charge and a previous warrant for a drunk-driving charge.
Smith says of this incident, “The details of this case leaves one absolutely speechless. The frustrating thing is that we had a similar case not too long ago where a driver was arrested for drunk driving and it emerged that he had been arrested twice before for the same offence. We are often criticised for a lack of enforcement, but cases like these debunk that myth and point rather to other problems, like people not taking responsibility for their actions and a lack of action in the prosecution of offenders,”
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