Two Dutch tourists injured during shooting by black gunmen at tourist lodge

Dutch tourists injured shot & injured by gunmen attacking guest-lodge near Hazyview According to a source on a neighbouring property who responded to the scene, it seemed as if the suspects gained entry to the property by crawling through the electric fence Nicolene Smalman 19 February 2014 HAZYVIEW – Two tourists of the Netherlands were the latest victims of an armed robbery at a guest establishment near the town early this morning. They sustained shrapnel wounds to the feet as one of the robbers fired a shot onto a tile floor.The incident occurred at Hazyriver Country Estate at about 02:00 this morning. Paramedics of Netcare 911 were summoned to the scene where they found two tourists of the Netherlands who had sustained injuries to their feet. They were in a stable condition and transported to Mediclinic Nelspruit.The robbers fled with only a TV and a vanity case. According to a source on a neighbouring property who responded to the scene, it seemed as if the suspects gained entry to the property by crawling through the electric fence. They then broke open the door to the three bedroom house where the tourists had been staying.“The robbers were in the lounge. The tourists were woken up by noises and went to investigate. One of the robbers fired a shot into the ground which hit a tile floor and the tourists, who obviously weren’t wearing shoes at that time, were injured.”The tourists were about to leave today anyway and at the time of going to press, they were enroute to Johannesburg.Meanwhile, MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, Ms Pinky Phosa, has issued a statement in which she said that her department would do everything in its power to curb the high crime rate in Hazyview. NELSPRUIT – MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, Ms Pinky Phosa, has reacted after Hazyview and its surroundings fell victim to yet another murder at a guest establishment over the weekend.Mr Johannes Cornelissen (31) was murdered at Ant & Elephant on Friday night.Phosa’s office sent out a media statement late yesterday afternoon in which she urged all stakeholders in the tourism industry to prioritise the safety of tourists visiting establishments in the province by working together with the police to ensure that the safety of tourists is not compromised.“As the department responsible for tourism, we will continue to work very closely with SAPS in partnership with private sector to safe-guard tourists and our communities. The province is in the process of developing the Tourism Safety Plan which we believe will strengthen our work in this regard,” said Phosa.The plan will be rolled out all over the province with a certain level of bias towards the Lowveld area, where most of these tourist attacks are reported. It will involve strengthening the Tourism Safety Monitors Programme in the province, Tourism Awareness Campaigns to sensitise communities about the importance of the tourism sector, in terms of job creation and its contribution to the provincial economy.She further emphasized the importance of the tourism industry given that it is one of the pillars of the Mpumalanga Economic Growth and Development Path (MEGDP), and has a huge potential to create the much needed jobs for the people of Mpumalanga. During the peak season, safety campaigns will conscientize tourists about their safety, and further offer them safety tips. Crime victims will also be offered after-care support which aims to assist tourists with temporary accommodation, arranging of travelling documents (if lost), amongst others.Phosa has also committed to work together with all stakeholders in the tourism industry in an effort to ensure an increase in a number of tourist arrivals and their safety in the province.“My condolence goes to the family of the late Cornelissen. I appeal to our people around the area of Hazyview to come forward and assist the law enforcement agencies in arresting the perpetrators of this barbaric crime against innocent people who visit our province,” said Phosa.“We strongly denounce any attack on tourists because this barbaric act may negatively impact on our efforts to grow tourism in our province. If our own people continue to attack visitors to their province, it is like they are attacking their own visitors, and the message they are implicitly sending is that visitors are not welcome in Mpumalanga. I do not think you can treat any person who is visiting your household in that manner. Let us collectively embrace the spirit of Ubuntu, and extend a welcoming hand to our visitors,” added the MEC.“I remain confident about the growth of tourist arrivals from all over the world into our province, and I believe that working together with all role players in the tourism sector we will be able to ensure that the safety of tourists becomes our collective number one priority,” she concluded. http://hazyviewherald.co.za/18296/netherlands-tourists-injured-estate-near-hazyview/