Tokai Park, an integral part of Table Mountain National Park, lies immediately adjacent to the City of Cape Town. It is certainly no stranger to crime. We therefore urge all recreational users of Tokai Park to remain as alert to criminal activity as they would elsewhere in the city.

That stated – and stressed, it is essential that our approach to crime remains grounded in fact. Avoiding our pristine natural areas because of perceived, rather than real, threats would be counterproductive. We and our many hundreds of thousands of visitors reap immeasurable rewards immersing ourselves in the natural beauty about us.

Statistics on crime in the Tokai neighbourhood from a local police station show that one or two house break-ins are reported monthly. More reports of trespass and theft from motor vehicles are received. Lower Tokai Park, with two incidents reported since 2016, is orders of magnitude safer than its surrounding suburbs.

Even so, one of the incidents, the horrific rape and murder of 16-year-old Franziska Blöchliger in 2016, should serve as a reminder that we are nowhere exempt the shocking reality of violent crime in South Africa. Franziska’s death, as well as those of two young cousins killed by a falling pine at Tokai Park in 2002, will not – and should not – easily be forgotten.

It is a fact that some populist groups hold that, owing to its density, reintroduced Fynbos is responsible for whatever crime there is at Tokai Park. However, Friends of Tokai Park maintains that criminal activity cannot be tied to vegetation type and we will not allow alarmists to abuse tragic events to promote, in this instance, the retention of pine trees at Tokai Park. Such abuses of tragedy are themselves criminal.

Scientific research shows no evidence linking Fynbos to criminal activity. In an article reporting insights from Cape Town, the researchers state:

“We argue that the incidence of crime may not always be determined by the biogeographical status of dominant plants (i.e., whether vegetation is dominated by native, alien, or invasive alien species).”

To keep yourself constantly abreast of recent criminal incidents at Tokai Park and elsewhere in Table Mountain National Park, consult André Colling’s most excellent, regularly updated Table Mountain Crime Map.

In as much as pretending Fynbos leads to crime at Tokai Park is itself a crime, lending credence to the notion that Tokai Park has a “crime problem” of similar proportions to its suburban surrounds would be as criminal.

Nonetheless, the ugly reality of attacks, muggings and theft on the periphery and, occasionally, deep within the Park, means that we would be neglecting our and others’ safety were we not always to bear SANParks’ safety tips in mind. To avoid becoming a victim of crime, please take the following listed precautions:

• Try not to walk/jog/cycle/horse-ride alone; four is the ideal number.
• Let someone know when to expect your return (family or friends).
• Stick to well-used and marked paths, which will be indicated on the Park’s hiking map and read the warnings on this map. Don’t take shortcuts.
• Take a fully-charged cell phone. Some parts of the Park do not have cell phone reception, but you will always be able to reach a place where you can use a cell phone more quickly than you’ll get to a landline.
• Do not attract unwanted attention by openly displaying cash, cameras or other valuables.
• If you are confronted by a criminal, don’t resist. Hand over your goods as resistance might incite a mugger to violence.
• Program emergency numbers in your cell phone before your walk.

Current hotspots include parts of Table Mountain National Park’s Northern Section – around the City Bowl and its eastern flank – and the Southern Section – at Red Hill (Kleinplaas Dam and its immediate surrounds). Please be cautious.