Cape Town - A couple visiting South Africa were left traumatised after they were robbed by two men in their room at a guest house in Addo, Eastern Cape.
The incident took place on Saturday when Tommaso Bordoni, 29, from Belgium was sitting on the bedroom floor of the guest house when one of the suspects held a gun to his head and another held a knife against his throat. His girlfriend, Linsey de Waele, 25, from the Netherlands, was in the bathroom.
Bordoni said: “My girlfriend was taking a shower in the bathroom when the masked men came inside. She overheard them and didn’t come out. She also, luckily, had her phone with her. They started taking everything they could get their hands on. Once they emptied our room, they shoved the gun in my back and forced me to show them where we parked our rental car.”
The couple’s passports, bank cards, money, driver’s licences, phone, keys and clothing were all taken from the room.
Police spokesperson in the Eastern Cape Gerda Swart confirmed the incident and said: “Addo SAPS have launched a manhunt in an attempt to trace and arrest the two suspects who allegedly robbed a couple in the early hours of Saturday morning.”
Swart said it is alleged that the couple were in their room of the guest house in Addo when two armed males opened the unlocked door to their room just after midnight. The suspects, who were allegedly armed with a knife and firearm, demanded valuables.
The couple are currently staying in Stellenbosch as they wait for their embassies to process their documents.
Bordoni said: “We posted the incident on Facebook and were amazed by the flood of responses received from locals. They offered us money and a home to stay in. Many foreigners may be afraid of South Africa from the outside but it is important for people to know how well the community has helped us.”
He said the way local people offered help was surprising as it wasn’t very common for a stranger to offer this much help in their country. It is definitely safer for tourists to travel in groups to avoid being seen as a soft target.
“I would definitely come back as I love the country but it is unfortunate that we do not always feel safe here,” he said.
Swart said the robbery was reported to the local police and a case of business robbery was being investigated. No arrests have been made.