Durban - Armed robbers attacked players at Durban’s Windsor Park golf course on Friday.
Ashwin Singh, his wife, Surekha, and brother-in-law, Vijay Shah, were held up at gunpoint at the 13th hole at 5pm.
Singh said two men, one armed, approached them.
“They were smartly dressed and kept asking us to not look at their faces. They told us to lie down flat on the ground and they searched our pockets and bags and calmly walked away.”
Singh said the robbers did not appear to be in a hurry and rifled through their bags and took their cellphones and cash out of their wallets.
“
We want to come here after work to have a game of golf but it seems unsafe. We are happy that no one was hurt or injured, but we want other golfers to be aware of what is going on.”
Shah said this was his second incident at the course.
He had discovered a man going through his bag and, when he screamed, fellow golfers caught the culprit.
Police spokesman Thulani Zwane said Friday’s incident had been reported but no arrests had been made.
On Tuesday, golfers, who declined to be named for fear of reprisals, said they were aware of “several incidents“ where people had been mugged.
One golfer said he recently had a “close call” when a man approached him.
“When he saw my golfing partner coming out of a bunker, he walked away.”
The golfers now avoided playing alone, and in the afternoon, because they feared they would be robbed.
Paddy Sookdeo, Greater Durban Golf Club executive committee member, said there had been “a problem” a few months ago around the 8th hole where a fence had been cut, but that had been repaired.
The course also had a security guard at the 5th hole.
Golf course manager Rajen Sewgolum said Friday’s robbery was an “isolated incident”.
“The people who were robbed did not report the incident to me, so I do not have the details, but I have to question what time they were playing. It must have been late,” Sewgolum said.
He confirmed there was a security guard at the 5th hole and another near the 14th.
“The guards have been placed there because it is quiet in those areas.”
The guards were permanently on the course.
The Mercury