DP: FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010

[grawp]

Good morning, everyone:

Here's this morning's OSAC update from the FIFA World Cup in sunny, ever-so-friendly South Africa:

Crime Report
Arrests
Four men were arrested in connection with the June 9 robbery of two Portuguese and one Spanish reporter at the Nutbush Boma lodge in Magaliesburg, an hour northwest of Jo-hannesburg. Local police, detectives, and intelligence elements joined forces to follow-up on several tips leading to the arrests. Authorities report that several stolen items were re-covered.
Four Peruvian citizens were arrested on June 10 in connection to a recent spate of laptop thefts at a major Western hotel in the Sandton district of Johannesburg. Police in Cape Town also arrested a suspect in the reported laptop thefts from the conference room of a hotel in Cape Town. Police were questioning the suspect in attempt to recover the stolen equipment.
Recent Incidents
On June 10, four Chinese World Cup reporters were robbed by an armed gang about four kilometers (two-and-half miles) from Soccer City in Soweto. After smashing a window, the thieves took a camera and cash, totaling approximately $1,500.
Eleven foreign tourists were robbed when thieves broke into their tour bus in on June 10. The tourists, including one from Denmark, Finland, Canada, Sweden, and seven from Tanzania left their belongings on the bus while visiting a wine estate in Stellenbosh, 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Cape Town. The driver and the tourists returned to find the bus door ajar and their possessions missing. Nine passports, two cell phones, two digital cameras, five credit cards, a wrist watch, a laptop, an MP3 player and cash were stolen.
On June 4, a contractor with a Korean broadcasting agency was attacked and robbed by three men in a restroom at Carlson Centre, Johannesburg. The 38-yeard-old man was overpowered and strangled by the perpetrators, and awoke to discover his passport and cash missing.
On June 8, three players from the Greece national soccer team reportedly had money stolen from their hotel rooms at the Beverly Hills Hotel in the Umhlanga Rocks resort, just outside of Durban. The total amount was approximately $1,900. The Greek team opted not to open a case on the issue.
On Thursday, June 10, in response to recent crime incidents, the South African govern-ment issued a statement to reassure visitors that safety and security is a top prior-ity. Authorities reiterated that of the country’s 190,000 police officers, only 40,000 are dedicated to World Cup duties. The remaining 150,000 police officers continue normal policing. Visitors were requested to exercise care of their personal safety and those around them.

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And, just for you "BusWreck" fans:

Fatal Bus Crash
Three British citizens were killed and 21 other tourists injured in a bus crash which occurred mid-day near Baberton, South Africa on June 10. It is unclear how the crash occurred. The tourist bus was traveling from Swaziland to Nelspruit with a group of students from the U.K. Reports indicate emergency services arrived quickly. The injured were treated and transported to hospital in the Nelspruit area. The group was scheduled to return to the U.K. on June 11.

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