The bus taking the tourists to the airport departed Joburg yesterday
The bus taking the tourists to the airport departed Joburg yesterday
The shocking brutality that greeted a group of 36 Dutch tourists in Sunday’s armed robbery has seen the entire group head for the safety of home.
Who can blame them? Their ordeal in Johannesburg was exceptionally traumatic, given that the assailants were disguised in police uniforms and attempted to open fire on the visitors. It was a miracle that no-one was killed.
The tourists have since boarded their planes home, departing for the airport yesterday. As reported by News24, they were originally here on a 22-day excursion, but were barely in the country for a couple of hours before they fell victim to South Africa’s crime.
Dutch tourists visited by Chief Mbalula
Police Chief Fikile Mbalula visited the distressed bunch before they flew back to The Netherlands. He said that the experience was too overwhelming for any of them to prolong their stay:
“It was a dramatic experience and as much as they wanted to stay longer, what they came across on Sunday was almost like a hostage situation by criminals who undermined the authority of the state. Our biggest concern is, if people had to die on that bus, it would have been worse than it is now. In God’s prayers, nobody died.”
Both the tour guide and bus driver were tied up by the robbers. Passengers managed to free them after the robbers left, allowing the driver to get the spare key out of the cargo area. The driver then drove the tourist to the hotel where police and ambulances were called.
Have the tourists sworn off South Africa for good?
As citizens, we have been forced to accept the risks that come with living in this country. If it’s terrifying for us, imagine what these ‘outsiders’ felt like. Scared, away from home and feeling completely helpless in the face of abject terror.
Some of the group accepted Mbalula’s offer to revisit the country in a year. Hopefully, under increased security, they will be able to see the other side of South Africa: The one that we should all be proud of, no matter what else is happening.
