On Thursday, September 21, at about 3pm, a gang moving in a small car attacked a student who was returning from the library to his place of residence in Muizenberg. The incident happened in Frazer Road just a few metres away from the college near Kosie’s Place restaurant.
At that spot, the car stopped in front of him and the gang jumped out with knives and chisels as they ordered him to surrender all that he had, a smartphone and laptop.
This PhD student looked puzzled and as he was still considering risking handing over his research and all the hard drives, he ran backwards. They chased and kicked him and he fell on the road.
He was saved when a passing car came from the other side. His attackers took off without taking his bags, but left him bleeding with injuries.
International college students called a meeting the next day to be vigilant on security precautions and violent attacks that are starting in corners and near residences around Muizenberg and Fish Hoek.
In this meeting, three other students reported having survived a similar attack by gangs when they had gone for fellowship involving Christian youth from Muizenberg Community Church. The gangsters surrounded them and ordered them to surrender their phones.
“They were speaking one of the local languages which we did not understand, so they pulled out their own phones while showing us what to do but we kept telling them that we did not understand,” said one.
"They did not move out of their small yellow car but fortunately the gate was opened before they could hurt us, so they took off."
“God saved us” said Kalende, the youth leader.
With these reports and other recent cases of gang-related violence in Ocean View and Mitchells Plain, students have been advised to move in groups if they move out of the college premises.
They also want the police to improve the patrolling of roads off the main roads.