Cape Town’s beaches fill up over the festive season and the chaos and masses of people makes these packed areas prime spots for criminals.
Recently, a Capetonian mother took to Facebook to warn others about an alleged kidnapping attempt she experienced on Strand beach. Rejéane Ritter explained how her family had visited the beach on Reconciliation Day, one of the most popular beach days on Cape Town’s calendar, when a allegedly man picked up her two-year-old and attempted to walk away from the family.
“I had to grab hold my son and pull him out of the man’s grip. When I asking what he was doing, he swore at me and walked away,” she said in the post.
A similar post had gone up on the social media site from another mother, Sarah Bester, about the same beach on Monday December 16, when a man had allegedly tried to pull her three-year-old son away while he was sitting with her. Among the 155 comments on her post were other stories, detailing similar alleged incidences on other Cape Town beaches.
The South African Police in Strand said they have no record of any alleged kidnapping attempts, according to Colonel Andrè Traut, the Provincial Commander of Media Communication.
Advice for parents with kids on the beach:
– Keep your children close, tell them not to wander too far from where you’re sitting.
– Be aware of your surroundings, including suspicious people coming to close.
– Let your children know what to do should a stranger try and take them, including screaming or calling out.
– Alert the police to any unusual activity, or attempted kidnappings
Image: @wallaby_fan/Twitter