Monday, November 15, 2010

UK bride murdered on SA honeymoon if this carries on we will have no tourists soon

A British woman on honeymoon with her husband of two weeks was murdered by hijackers on Saturday night in Cape Town.

This was on the same day that a German couple were robbed at knife-point in their bed-and-breakfast in Eastern Cape.

The 28-year-old UK bride was killed in Gugulethu, Cape Town, after she and her 31-year-old husband were abducted from their tour vehicle.

Tammy Evans, spokesman for Western Cape tourism MEC Alan Winde, said the couple were on their way back to their hotel after dining out and asked their driver to show them Gugulethu township.

"They were interested in checking out the township vibe and asked their driver to show them Gugulethu," said Evans.

"They were hijacked by two men. The husband and the driver were ejected from the car separately at a later stage," she said.

Police spokesman Colonel André Traut said two men forced open a door of the VW bus in which the newly weds were passengers, ejected the driver and sped off with the couple.

"The 31-year-old man was dropped off in Harare [Khayelitsha]. He flagged down a passing motorist who took him to the Harare police station."

The man was unharmed.

The woman's body was found on the back seat of the vehicle at Lingelethu West just after 7am on Sunday.

Traut refused to say how the woman died.

"An autopsy will be performed to determine cause of death.," he said.

Traut said he could not give details of the man's condition or reveal his identity.

"We are not releasing anything. We are in the process of informing the families," he said. "Suspects are yet to be arrested."

The husband is still in South Africa and is receiving consular help and counselling, said Evans.

The couple arrived in this country on November 12.

A German couple were robbed on Saturday night while on holiday in the Addo region of Eastern Cape.

The manager of the Halstead farm bed-and-breakfast said the couple were on their second visit to this country but had vowed never to return because of the attack.

The manager, who asked not to be named said her business was ruined.
"I am afraid my business is closed now. I can't with a clear conscience have guests stay with me again," she said. "They have said they will never come back to South Africa."

She said two men entered the property on Saturday night.

"They must have climbed over the fence and waited for the couple to go to sleep. They opened the door with a knife and once they were inside they told the guests 'Don't worry, we are waiters" and proceeded to rob them.

"They tied them up with electric cables and torn-up curtains. They took passports, jackets, shoes, money - everything except the souvenirs they bought in South Africa."

The men also made off with the property's gate key.

The couple spent last night in Port Elizabeth waiting for assistance in obtaining emergency travel documents.
The bed-and-breakfast manager said the police had identified suspects but no arrests had been made.

The couple are expected to leave the country today.

Original story  http://www.timeslive.co.za//UK-bride

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