Yet another tourist has been attacked in the Mother City, this time the Ultra cross country runner Tom Evans has fallen victim.
In a video posted on Instagram, the former British Army captain says he was busy training for the RMB Ultra-trail Cape Town race when he was mugged and beaten up at knifepoint this past Friday.
Evans says he is gutted that he could no longer participate in this coming weekend’s event, but it is the best decision for his mental health.
He wrote on Instagram:
”Sadly as you may have heard, I will not be racing UTCT this year. I was attacked and mugged on the trails at knife point where all my possessions were stolen. I am pretty beat up but I will be physically okay.
I have decided to go home and make sure that I am mentally alright which is something that I have always taken for granted.
For those in Cape Town, look after yourself and those around you and please stay safe.
It’s been an awesome year and I wont let 2 criminals spoil my year on the trails.”
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RMB Ultra-trail Cape Town Race Director Stuart McConnachie says they are extremely saddened and concerned by what happened to Tom Evans and have reached out to him to offer support and access to counselling.
“We were excited to have him race at this year’s RMB Ultra-trail Cape Town but respect his decision to return to the UK.”
McConnachie says perhaps this incident is the catalyst needed for everyone to pull together to find workable solutions to protect the asset that is Table Mountain, which brings so many visitors to our shores.
Over 400 international runners will be in the Mother City this week for the race, with over 2000 runners who will take to the trails this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
McConnachie says to ensure everyone’s safety on the trails and address their concern for runners, they have increased security deployments around the entire route.
This includes community police, private security, Metro Police and horseback patrols in certain areas.
“We have the assurance of SANParks, the City of Cape Town, SAPS and Metro Police that strong measures are in place for safety on the trails. We continue to work with them to communicate concerns for runners and hikers, so we can all enjoy the incredible natural beauty we have on our doorstep.”
Attacks on tourists has been in the spotlight recently, after an American tourist was shot and robbed in Nyanga, prompting Google to remove the route from it’s Maps Application, when traveling from the Airport.
