Attackers attempt to cut off triathlete's legs (S Africa)

[Sixmile]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/triathlon/43313998
Quite a shocking story. While Gwala was out cycling in South Africa two attackers dragged him into some bushes and tried to saw off his legs with a chainsaw. Thankfully it was too blunt and they didn't succeed and he is recovering but what on earth are we coming to?

 

[Salty seadog]

Holy crap

 

[srw]

There's an important pair of words missing from the thread title and the OP - "South Africa".

It's shocking, but not surprising, that in a country where there is a lot of violent crime a violent crime has happened. As to its relevance to those of us living in the UK? Not a lot.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Doubt it would be a chainsaw, it would not have stopped at bone, even a blunt one, but that aside pretty harrowing, wonder who he upset as it appears to me to be a deliberate attack.

 

[jefmcg]

wonder who he upset as it appears to me to be a deliberate attack.

Can we skip victim blaming when we have so very few details?

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Can we skip victim blaming when we have so very few details?

Nope, it seems a quite logical jump, if you don't want to then feel free not to, but please don't tell me I can't.

 

[Sixmile]

Doubt it would be a chainsaw, it would not have stopped at bone, even a blunt one, but that aside pretty harrowing, wonder who he upset as it appears to me to be a deliberate attack.

Sometimes my new 'chainsaw attachment' for my petrol multi tool struggles its way through a branch an inch or two thick. I guess we can only go on what's been reported.

As for omitting the country of origin, major apologies..!

 

[Cycleops]

Just shows what a terrible state much of South Africa is in. I'm sure drugs had a part to play.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Just shows what a terrible state much of South Africa is in. I'm sure drugs had a part to play.

Careful you'll be accused of wild & inappropriate speculation

 

[raleighnut]

Careful you'll be accused of wild & inappropriate speculation

Yep, there's more to this than has been reported, it sounds more like revenge than robbery to me though.

 

[oldwheels]

One of my sons was working on a short term contact in S.Africa last year. His site was a few miles from the compound where they stayed. When they drove back to digs in the evenings they were advised not to stop under any circumstances. If a body was apparently lying in the roadway they were told simply to drive over it at speed even if they thought it was a real person. If they stopped they were dead. What a world indeed!

 

[Time Waster]

Sounds like my dad's site on Nigeria 30 years ago. They had guards wielding AK47s to protect the westerners. Well in the day they did. At night the guards considered themselves lucky to be issued with muskets! Seriously not kidding. The type you load shot at a time down the barrel with gunpowder and wadding.

Or a guy I knew through work who went to old soviet republics and parts of Africa where there's active rebels. His company operated an intelligence network in those parts of Africa to protect operations. They used locals to protect sites but when the intelligence indicates trouble at a site they bring in their best guys, all ex ghurkas. That gets back to the rebels and you rarely got the attack they planned. It at least if you did it ended badly for the rebels. Either way the guy I knew would be sunning himself for a few weeks on the company pay while things got sorted.

In all those cases driving involved armed convoys and bribed police to clear the path. Basically no stopping for anyone.

I'd hate to work in such places.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

One of my sons was working on a short term contact in S.Africa last year. His site was a few miles from the compound where they stayed. When they drove back to digs in the evenings they were advised not to stop under any circumstances. If a body was apparently lying in the roadway they were told simply to drive over it at speed even if they thought it was a real person. If they stopped they were dead. What a world indeed!

My cousin worked in Canary Wharf and lived in London. He used to give the same advice to people visiting him (Except for the driving over the body bit).

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

My former employer did business in Johannesburg. Whenever he visited the client they would take their handgun out of their pocket when they got in the car and put it in the middle of the dashboard in plain view. At traffic lights people regularly walked towards the car, looked at the windscreen and then turned away.
A troubled place.
This was before Mr Mandela was released, when they were still putting tyres over businessmen's heads dowsing them in petrol and setting light to them.
The Afrikaners that visited us were harsh people.

 

[CharlesF]

It's extremely sad that such a beautiful country with many wonderful, kind, friendly and hospitable people can, at the same time, be extremely violent. The "haves" violently protect their property against the "have nots" who violently attempt to gain control of the property - be it house, car, mobile, whatever.

Although mass shootings are very rare, one-on-one violence is all too common, and a part of life.

When we lived in Durban, getting the car out, for example, was a major hassle. Unlock the garage, unlock the car, get in, lock doors, disarm the anti hijack device. Back out, remotely shut the garage, drive down to the gate, remotely open the gate, back some more, close the gate, drive further to the gate a the road edge. Check for any suspicious characters, open second gate, drive out and without stopping, remotely close the gate.

Seems extreme, but my mother, aged 86, stopped at her gates and was jumped by two guys who smashed the window, opened the door and dragged her out, drove off leaving her lying in the road. There are numerous similar tales.