Tourists robbed at EHRA campsite
Goods worth over N$155 000 stolen
Three foreign tourists were robbed at knifepoint at the Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA) campsite in the Khorixas district shortly after midnight on Tuesday, 11 November.
According to Kunene Regional crime investigations coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Florence Kuzatjike, four men approached the visitors – from Germany, Britain and Portugal – while they were seated around a fire.
Kuzatjike said the suspects were armed with knives and screwdrivers and “demanded that they surrender what they had”.
The tourists were tied to their chairs before the assailants fled with all their belongings. The victims managed to free themselves and ran to a nearby camp for help.
The value of the property stolen was over N$155 000. By Saturday, no arrests had been made, nor had anything been recovered.
EHRA chief executive Rachel Harris said officers visited the site again on Saturday.
“I think that the thought is that it is a syndicate that is going around,” she said, noting earlier break-ins reported at Madisa campsite and others near the Twyfelfontein area in late September.
Harris said the incident “didn’t feel organised” and “didn’t feel professional”, according to feedback from the victims.
She added that the visitors, though shaken, “did not feel threatened in the end”.
Security boosted
EHRA believes there may have been information leaks about movements at remote sites. Harris said the organisation has moved immediately to strengthen security.
“We are upping our security a lot more and there will be armed security guards here from now on,” she said. “Our number one feeling is that everyone who stays here and our staff at all times are safe.”
She said there is concern that similar incidents may have gone unreported elsewhere, reducing the chance to prevent further crimes.
“If we had known that there had been break-ins in recent times, we would have had a chance to do something more,” she said.
Harris urged travellers and operators to remain alert, especially over the coming holiday period, and to ensure proper security at campsites.
“It sounds like there is a bigger syndicate at play,” she said.
According to Kunene Regional crime investigations coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Florence Kuzatjike, four men approached the visitors – from Germany, Britain and Portugal – while they were seated around a fire.
Kuzatjike said the suspects were armed with knives and screwdrivers and “demanded that they surrender what they had”.
The tourists were tied to their chairs before the assailants fled with all their belongings. The victims managed to free themselves and ran to a nearby camp for help.
The value of the property stolen was over N$155 000. By Saturday, no arrests had been made, nor had anything been recovered.
EHRA chief executive Rachel Harris said officers visited the site again on Saturday.
“I think that the thought is that it is a syndicate that is going around,” she said, noting earlier break-ins reported at Madisa campsite and others near the Twyfelfontein area in late September.
Harris said the incident “didn’t feel organised” and “didn’t feel professional”, according to feedback from the victims.
She added that the visitors, though shaken, “did not feel threatened in the end”.
Security boosted
EHRA believes there may have been information leaks about movements at remote sites. Harris said the organisation has moved immediately to strengthen security.
“We are upping our security a lot more and there will be armed security guards here from now on,” she said. “Our number one feeling is that everyone who stays here and our staff at all times are safe.”
She said there is concern that similar incidents may have gone unreported elsewhere, reducing the chance to prevent further crimes.
“If we had known that there had been break-ins in recent times, we would have had a chance to do something more,” she said.
Harris urged travellers and operators to remain alert, especially over the coming holiday period, and to ensure proper security at campsites.
“It sounds like there is a bigger syndicate at play,” she said.
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