Tour guide whose spooky Halloween costume went viral, says it was done to scare off muggers

SPOOKY: Sait in bride costume on Lion’s Head. Pictures: Supplied

SPOOKY: Sait in bride costume on Lion’s Head. Pictures: Supplied

Published Nov 7, 2023

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A mom of two from Lotus River, Cape Town, says she never expected her post to go viral and found it amusing that people are sharing and enjoying her quirky Halloween costume.

Fatima Sait, a long-standing mountain tour guide, said she was fed up of being a target for muggers who are robbing hikers almost daily.

Sait, 48, shared a few throwback images of her in a scary bride’s costume and posted it on the Hiking Cape Town Facebook page.

SPOOKY: Fatima in bride costume on Lion’s Head

People had a good laugh when they saw the photos. But Sait says the message of her costume is more serious than the amusement it brings.

The former admin assistant says the hiking community around Table Mountain has been targeted by robbers and she shared the picture as a suggestion to scare off muggers.

Sait said: “I’m scared for not only my own safety, but my fellow mountain users as well. It’s not only affecting my own income, but others in my industry.

“SANParks and other law enforcement units are doing visible patrols, but can’t be everywhere at the same time with limited resources.”

Fatima Sait. Picture: Supplied

Sait said the outfit was pure coincidence when she put it together for Halloween in 2020.

She adds: “I wore this for Halloween 2020, following a spate of muggings on the mountain, it was a bit of tongue in cheek to come up with solutions.

“I belong to a group called The Mountain Slayers and have a Halloween hike up Lion’s Head annually and hand out sweets.

SPOOKY: Fatima in bride costume on Lion’s Head

“I was going for a totally different look but couldn't find the hat to complete the look so decided in the shop, that I'm going as a corpse bride as I had a long white dress, bought the veil and face paint and viola, look complete.

“My dress didn't have pockets for my phone so I took the handbag.”

Daily Voice