Cyclists and runners demand police presence as thugs target gadgets, bikes and even shoes

Gauteng cyclists, tired of looking out for gun-wielding thugs, will embark on a 50km bike ride to deliver a letter to the police and Ministry of Public Security telling them: calling for greater police visibility.< /p>

On July 17th, cyclists from various clubs and individuals will unite under the banner of the Safer Routes Forum to protest the increasing crimes against them .

< p>The organizer of the group, Lubabalo Mnyaka, said the protest comes after the latest incident on Sunday in which a runner had his shoes and a watch stolen on the M26 in Centurion .

The runner declined to speak to TimesLIVE over fears of being targeted. He said on Twitter he will never walk the streets again. His tweet garnered more than 470 replies from fellow runners and drivers sharing their stories of crimes they witnessed. It was also retweeted more than 940 times and has more than 5,000 likes.

Mnyaka said her demand was police visibility from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. and from 5pm to 7pm on the M26 and R55 routes as well as the Summit Road which joins the R55 which is a popular route for drivers.

“It There are many riding areas around Centurion and we also asked security groups and the CPF who instead of parking if they could ride on these routes at this time. We don’t ask to be escorted, we just want to be visible because there’s an incident every week now.”

He said criminals know when the cyclists are riding and incidents are increasing.

“It has escalated and crime has become more organized, with groups now robbing, wielding knives and even guns.”

< span>He said criminals target runners for their shoes and devices used to monitor their pace, heart rate and routes. These devices include smartwatches and heart rate monitors, sometimes worn on the chest.

They also target cyclists’ bicycles and cell phones.

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