/ 17 November 2007

UCT professor killed for his bag in Rondebosch

A University of Cape Town commercial law professor was stabbed to death during a robbery in Rondebosch on Friday, Western Cape police said.

Police spokesperson Captain Elliot Sinyangana said the professor was walking down Roslyn Road between 6pm and 6.30pm on Friday evening. He was then approached by two men who tried to grab his bag.

”They threatened him with knives and demanded his bag. When he resisted the men stabbed him a number of times in the chest and fled with the bag,” Sinyangana said.

Sinyangana said a murder docket had been opened.

Contact crimes

Meanwhile, police operations targeting contact crimes have resulted in the arrest of more that 30 000 people, Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour said last week.

”3 339 law enforcement operations focusing on contact crimes were conducted [between July and August] resulting in 30 515 arrests relating to contact crimes,” he said.

Balfour, who was briefing the media on progress made by the Safety and Security, Ccorrectional Services and Justice and Constitutional Development Departments in the fight against crime, said the recent recruitment of police reservists will bolster the police’s capacity to fight crime.

”This will have a major impact in assisting the police to combat crime and increase police visibility,” he said. – Sapa