A pair of elderly tourists from the US have vowed never to return to Durban after being mugged in broad daylight on Sunday
One of the tourists claimed that two SAPS officers were across the street during the mugging but did nothing to help
South Africans questioned how the government planned to bolster tourism when the country isn’t even safe to visit
DURBAN – A harrowing mugging in the CBD of Durban has turned elderly US tourists off of the coastal city for good
Peter Livingston and George Eighmeny were on a weekend visit to Durban when they were robbed in broad daylight on Sunday, 19 February.
Elderly US tourists mugged while walking back from Botanical Gardens in Durban According to Livingston, that pair had been in South Africa since December and decided to visit Durban for a weekend.
The US tourists had set their hearts on setting the sights the coastal city had to offer and decided to walk to the Botanical Gardens.
On their way back from the gardens, the duo were walking near a taxi rank when eight or nine men accosted them.
Livingston told IOL how they were forced to the ground and relieved of their cellphones and wallets. The elderly man said: “They literally tore my pants open struggling for my phone.”
Two SAPS officers allegedly watched as the tourists were mugged Livingston claimed the mugging happened in full view of street vendors and other pedestrians.
There were allegedly also two SAPS officers across the street who sat by and let the mugging unfold undisturbed. Livingston said the travellers shouted for help, but no one came to their aid.
It is for this reason that the pair did not report the mugging. Levingston said: “The indifference of the police at the scene did not inspire confidence.
” The US tourist’s mugging is a poor indictment of the crime rate in SA, which according to the latest crime stats, is rising at an alarming.
IwaZulu-Natal was a front-runner for the most murders committed in SA, with 1,821 killings recorded between October and December 2022, TimesLIVE reported
GreenyZA claimed: “Robbed in broad daylight in Durban … This tourist is bloody lucky to still be able to “vow”. He’s lucky he was not sent home in a body bag!”
