A man pretending to be a hiker robbed three Search and Rescue South Africa (SARZA) volunteers on Lion’s Head at gunpoint.
In a sad twist, they had warned him to be safe, not realising he was in fact one of the skelms.
He had thanked the team for keeping the Table Mountain National Park safe before carrying out the robbery.
In the last two months, more than 20 such incidents have been reported.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg said that suspects had yet to be apprehended. Mike Muller, Chairperson of SARZA, said the incident took place last Sunday, just after 8.20pm following the rescue of an injured hiker.
Muller explained the hiker had sustained a leg injury and that Wilderness Search and Rescue members had been called to assist in the rescue.
He said the drama unfolded when the team began walking down towards the car park along a trail and had met a man they believed was a hiker, not realising he was a boef.
The robber took all of their personal belongings, including their gear which costs R22 000.
Mike says: “They encountered a man walking up the trail and warned him against walking alone on the mountain at night due to a recent spate of crime-related incidents.
“The man thanked them for the information and acknowledged them for being part of a search and rescue team.
“As he passed the group, the unidentified man brandished a firearm and robbed the team of their belongings, including backpacks containing clothing and rescue equipment, their personal cellphones and their smart watches.
“The SARZA family is deeply shocked by this attack on volunteer rescue personnel, the first of its kind in the Cape, as far as we are aware.
“We are thankful that our team members were unharmed.”