Armed robbery at Dune 7

A couple from South Africa shared with the South African media this week their recent ordeal at Dune 7 near Walvis Bay, when they were held at knifepoint by four men and robbed of all their valuables. The robbers slashed three of the victims’ vehicle tyres before speeding off.

Gert Pretorius (69), a retired Fire Brigade Chief, and his wife Emma (70) told the Middelburg Observer that on 3 August they stopped at Dune 7 as part of their tour through parts of Namibia.
Pretorius walked a distance from the vehicle to pick up pebbles and his wife remained at the vehicle.
His wife noticed a vehicle passing which turned around and drove towards them.
Four men emerged from the vehicle and pulled knives with which they threatened Mrs Pretorius. She tried to draw Mr Pretorius’ attention by whistling and when he turned around he too was grabbed and threatened with a knife.
They searched the couple and took a wallet, a purse and cellphone from the couple. The robbers then searched the vehicle and took cameras and bags which contained tent pins, a cellphone charger and a cosmetic bag.
The robbers then took away the car keys and slashed three of the Pretorius’ vehicle’s tyres in order to prevent them from either following them or finding help in time from the nearby Dune 7 Adventures.
The couple walked to Dune 7 Adventures where little time was wasted to call the police and roadside assistance.
The Police recovered the cosmetics bag which thankfully contained the vehicle’s keys.
Unfortunately, their bank cards, identity documents and driving licences were in the stolen wallet and purse.
A Walvis Bay resident, Mr Johan Swanepoel, assisted the couple by providing his bank account for the couple’s children to transfer money, which he then withdrew and gave to them.
From media reports it was clear that Namibia’s image as a safe country for tourists and visitors is frequently tarnished by incidents of theft and armed robbery. The Middelburg Observer is a widely read publication and the article found its way to several news outlets which concentrates on Namibia as a tourism destination.