Fear and grieving in Tokai forest
Safety at Tokai Forest is being assessed following the murder of teenage Franziska Blöchliger.
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Safety at Tokai Forest is being assessed following the murder of teenage Franziska Blöchliger, 16, who was raped and murdered while jogging there on Monday.
Her mother Shireen had been about 150 metres away from her at the time of her death.
SANParks regional spokeswoman Merle Collins told Weekend Argus this week that the area in which Franziska was attacked had never been considered a crime hot spot before.
“But it is receiving and will continue to receive a lot of our attention to assess overall security.
“There have always been routine ranger patrols throughout the area, but it remains an open access area with many access points.
“We will add to the current patrols, including the park’s dog unit from time to time.
“We will also assess potential thoroughfares which can be closed off.”
Andre van Schalkwyk, founder of Table Mountain Watch which works to highlight mountain safety issues, said there were unconfirmed reports of crimes previously taking place higher up from the murder scene.
“This particular incident occurred in the forest - much lower down near the main roads and in the suburbs literally,” he said.
“This is unheard of in this general area in terms of our info.”
Several meetings about crime and an event, a four kilometre women’s jog through the forest, have been planned for next week to honour Franziska’s life.
On Monday Westlake residents will meet to discuss crime in the community; Franziska’s cellphone was tracked to the area because that was where it was sold.
On Tuesday a meeting to discuss security issues at Tokai Forest is planned at the Alphen hall in Constantia.
That same evening scores of women plan to jog a 4km route through Tokai Forest to show that they are united against violence directed at them.
The event, Women For Change, was created on Facebook a few days after Franziska’s murder.
By yesterday more than 1 400 people had indicated they planned to attend.
A description about the event on Facebook said: “The brutal murders just in recent days have shown again that our women and children are not safe.
“As women we must stand united to fight for an end to violence against women and children!
“Let’s run together to claim back our safety and to cherish our beautiful girls, who have been senselessly killed in this country!”
Participants were urged to bring flowers in honour of murdered women.
On Friday four men arrested in connection with Franziska’s murder - Howard Oliver, Jonathan Jonas, Jerome Moses and Daniel Easter - are expected in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court for a second time to apply for bail.
During their first appearance there on Friday, it emerged that Franziska had been raped and sodomised, and that her iPhone, a diamond ring and wristwatch were stolen.
This week Franziska’s father, Florian Blöchliger, took to Facebook appealing for help, apparently relating to the investigation into her murder. On Friday he asked anyone with a metal detector and who was experienced in using one to contact him.
Earlier in the week he asked if anyone knew how to bypass the pin code for an Apple cellphone, and for them to contact him.
This week a source instrumental in tipping off police about Franziska’s stolen iPhone said two men who were well-known in Westlake had entered the neighbourhood early on Monday evening trying to sell it for R200.
The duo had first gone to a resident there who declined to buy it.
“That guy didn’t want to buy something he knew was stolen.
“So many stolen goods are brought here to be sold,” the source said.
This man told his mother about the duo trying to sell the phone and word started spreading about it.
Police officers were also notified. The two had then gone to a spaza shop owner.
“When that guy tested that phone he switched it on. Police then picked up this signal.” The source said arrests were made shortly afterwards.
Westlake community leader Anthea Thebus said stolen goods were brought into the area to be sold daily.
The teenager’s funeral took place in the city centre on Friday evening. The family excluded the media from the event.
caryn.dolley@inl.co.za
Sunday Argus