Cape Town – American Eric Czuleger will depart the country tomorrow knowing that South Africa, or Cape Town specifically, is not for the faint-hearted.
He has learnt, among others, that he has to trust his “gut instinct’’ when coming across a suspicious person while hiking alone – in this instance on Signal Hill. Czuleger has recounted his experiences in a Facebook post and to a SA news website.
The American also got swindled out of his bank cards shortly arriving in South Africa two months ago.
Bizarrely, after the 33-year-old Czuleger, who is from Los Angeles, was assaulted with a large knife, his attacker ended up helping him look for his spectacles and ended up crying hysterically after being hurt in a subsequent scuffle.
Czuleger was hiking along Signal Hill on Saturday just after the Noon Gun had gone when a man, believed to be homeless and in his twenties, who was wearing a mask, suddenly appeared from under a fallen tree.
’’He asked if I was alone and I quickly passed him,’’ Czuleger posted on Facebook.
’’At this point, I felt him get too close and he produced a blade, hitting me on the head. I was able to run off but fell down the side of the hill towards Green Point.
’’He chased me and we ended up fighting until I got the knife away from him. I think he was concussed and I was bleeding heavily from the head so I went into Green Point to seek first aid.
’’I am foreign (American). And I certainly didn’t trust my gut instinct when I saw the man.’’
Czuleger later told another news website that he had told the man his friends would be joining him when he suddenly pulled out a large knife. His attacker then hit him over the head with the handle of the knife and Czuleger ran for his life.
His foot got stuck while running downhill and he got parted from his spectacles while rolling a few metres.
The attacker caught up with him and Czuleger asked him what he wanted. ’’He said I had to give him money and my cellphone.
’’I told him I would him hand him my cellphone but he first had to help me find my glasses. It was really bizarre. To my surprise, he agreed and started looking for my glasses in the area I pointed out to him.
’’While looking down, he lowered his hand holding the knife and I kicked with all my might in the face.’’
Czuleger then went and sat on the man to try to take away the knife, which ended up breaking.
’’He probably got a big fright because he said his hand got hurt badly, then he started crying hysterically. He pleaded with me to give him something.’’
Czulegger gave him his jersey and jacket and a pack of cigarettes, then ran to nearby residences, where somebody washed away the blood. He ended up not registering a case with the police because he is leaving for Lebanon.
Commenting on responses he had received to his Facebook post, Czulegger said: ’’Just to put some responses to rest. I was told that daytime on well trafficked routes was safe for people hiking alone.
’’I was about 500 metres from a neighbourhood and saw people throughout my hike. So I am aware that it is risky to hike alone but I felt that I had mitigated that risk per instructions given to me by park rangers.
’’I have spent two months in Cape Town and this is certainly not my impression of the city or the people. More so the gentleman that let me wash the blood off in his garage (can’t remember his name), Richard, the retired professor who drove me to the police station. And Bernard who drove me back home.
’’You have a wonderful city full of great people. That’s evidenced by this huge outpouring of support.’’
Table Mountain Watch posted on Facebook that while Signal Hill is a known problem area, ’’still nothing is done’’.
’’Safety and security remission remain a problem in the (Table Mountain National) Park, and no sign of the much publicised multi-billion rand MAJOC (Mission Area Joint Operations Command) SANParks promised to us.’’
SANParks apologised for the incident and advised people not to walk, jog, ride a bicycle or horse on their own, but to rather do it in groups.
IOL