Armed Guides for Protection
16 Feb 2019 00:46 #74660
by khristiankowalski
Armed Guides for Protection was created by khristiankowalski
I have recently learned of groups who have hired armed guides to trek with them. (Not sure if pistols or long arms, bit definitely firearms). I would be interested in the forum's perspective on this, and of anyone has done it, where might such guides be found? ...Khristian
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18 Feb 2019 09:34 #74664
by TheRealDave
Replied by TheRealDave on topic Armed Guides for Protection
I haven't heard of this or seen it being done, but my view is that:
(i) The expense is probably not worth it, given the relative infrequency of unpleasant encounters, let alone violent or potentially violent incidents. There were, as it happens, two recent incidents involving apparent members of the Lesotho army who seemed to be on a power trip, and I can only think that such encounters would be exacerbated if the armed and possibly intoxicated soldiers were to pick on a group who were themselves armed.
(ii) Despite the unfortunate possibility of crime, this practice should be discouraged, as it in no way fosters good relations with the Basotho people, who, in my experience and in the experience of many others, are mostly friendly and willing to help if they aren't simply keeping to themselves, or often just crave sweets or a smoke to soften what must be a hard, monotonous life.
There are undoubtedly some bad eggs on the escarpment: the recent hotspots for crime are known and may be found here . General security precautions may be found here . One can't predict or control all eventualities, but I doubt that armed guards would help any but the most malicious and surreptitious attacks, which, again, are rare.
(i) The expense is probably not worth it, given the relative infrequency of unpleasant encounters, let alone violent or potentially violent incidents. There were, as it happens, two recent incidents involving apparent members of the Lesotho army who seemed to be on a power trip, and I can only think that such encounters would be exacerbated if the armed and possibly intoxicated soldiers were to pick on a group who were themselves armed.
(ii) Despite the unfortunate possibility of crime, this practice should be discouraged, as it in no way fosters good relations with the Basotho people, who, in my experience and in the experience of many others, are mostly friendly and willing to help if they aren't simply keeping to themselves, or often just crave sweets or a smoke to soften what must be a hard, monotonous life.
There are undoubtedly some bad eggs on the escarpment: the recent hotspots for crime are known and may be found here . General security precautions may be found here . One can't predict or control all eventualities, but I doubt that armed guards would help any but the most malicious and surreptitious attacks, which, again, are rare.
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24 Feb 2019 09:40 #74674
by khristiankowalski
Replied by khristiankowalski on topic Armed Guides for Protection
Thanks Dave. This mirrors what I have read, but as team leader I had to ask the question. I have a connection to a risk management consulting firm who gave me a free risk analysis of the region - it also supports the comments of Dave. I think with the available info, Dave's comments and the risk analysis I can ease the worries of the team. KK
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02 Mar 2019 00:56 - 02 Mar 2019 04:43 #74702
by intrepid
Take nothing but litter, leave nothing but a cleaner Drakensberg.
Replied by intrepid on topic Armed Guides for Protection
I would like to believe that this is currently not warranted in the Berg, and agree with the reasons Dave has already given for this. The frequency of crime involving hikers in the Berg is lower than crime in South Africa as a whole. But when something does happen in the Berg it tends to strike a nerve among hikers because something of that nature shouldn't be happening in those mountains, especially because they are sacred ground to many of us - so you might come across a lot of discussion around one or two incidents.
The statistical chance of something happening to you in the Berg is comparitively low already, and if you are armed with knowledge and awareness of what kind of problem you might encounter in the Berg (what, where and how they occur), you can reduce that chance even further. This is one of the reasons we keep detailed accounts of the problems that have occurred and have a lot of content available on the topic of security - please have a look through this content on the site and make sure you have a good grasp on it. Again as Dave already pointed out, having armed guards also doesn't necessarily guarantee that you won't have any issues (yes, they could make certain problems even worse, and at some point your armed guards will want to sleep too which is when perpetrators will attempt to raid tents in some areas). Awareness and knowledge will go far in preventing problems and those don't cost you money either.
The statistical chance of something happening to you in the Berg is comparitively low already, and if you are armed with knowledge and awareness of what kind of problem you might encounter in the Berg (what, where and how they occur), you can reduce that chance even further. This is one of the reasons we keep detailed accounts of the problems that have occurred and have a lot of content available on the topic of security - please have a look through this content on the site and make sure you have a good grasp on it. Again as Dave already pointed out, having armed guards also doesn't necessarily guarantee that you won't have any issues (yes, they could make certain problems even worse, and at some point your armed guards will want to sleep too which is when perpetrators will attempt to raid tents in some areas). Awareness and knowledge will go far in preventing problems and those don't cost you money either.
Take nothing but litter, leave nothing but a cleaner Drakensberg.
Last edit: 02 Mar 2019 04:43 by intrepid.
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