EASTERN CAPE - RUSSIAN TOURISTS GET A TASTE OF SA CRIME AS THEIR KAYAKS ARE STOLEN

A group of Russian tourists was handed a raw deal when their trailer, laden with whitewater kayaks worth about R100,000, was stolen in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday.

Shane Raw, who was helping the group with information on where to kayak, told TimesLIVE the tourists had just finished kayaking on the Tsitsa river and had  loaded their kayaks on to a trailer and travelled to the nearby BT Ngebs Mall.

“They parked their vehicle in the mall parking but their trailer was removed from their vehicle. It was taken right in the parking area. It seems they were not aware that they were meant to padlock the trailer to their vehicle,” Raw added.

Raw said the stolen kayaks were extremely rare and were not sold in SA.

They include a red Jackson Nirvana, a red Waka Gangsta, a turquoise, red and white Dagger Phantom and a lime green Zet Cross.

He took to Facebook to plead with the community of Mthatha to help the tourists find their kayaks.

“I think the thieves were actually looking for the trailer and not the kayaks,” said Raw.

The tourists, who had been in SA specifically for whitewater kayaking, are returning to Russia on Thursday.

via - HERALDLIVE / pic via - SHANE RAW