Happy ending for tourist mugged in Cape Town

An Irish tourist who was mugged in the Cape Town CBD has been reunited with her gold necklace worth R10‚000.

Law enforcement officers on the Grand Parade heard “frantic screams” and chased the assailant after the woman was robbed on Wednesday afternoon.

“The officers saw a female on the ground and a male running away from the scene and being pursued by another person‚” said the city’s law enforcement spokesman Wayne Dyason.

“The officers joined a Central City Improvement District (CCID) officer who was giving chase and their combined efforts resulted in the arrest of a 24-year-old suspect. He had snatched an 18 carat gold chain worth £650 from the Irish tourist currently on holiday in Cape Town‚” he said.

Muneeb Hendricks‚ manager of safety at CCID‚ said the assailant tried to dump the necklace but alert officials spotted him and were able to retrieve it.

Hendricks said CCID officers regularly promoted the “stash it‚ don’t flash it” campaign where visitors to the city centre were urged to conceal valuable items they may be carrying.

Law Enforcement officers on the parade arrested a “cellphone trader” at a stall on the same day who was allegedly topping up customers with drugs instead of airtime. He was found with 61 small packets of crystal methamphetamine‚ commonly referred to as tik.