A British Airways captain was robbed and gunpoint and stabbed in the leg after venturing outside the secure Melrose Arch compound in Johannesburg to go running.
British Airways Pilot Robbed At Gunpoint, Stabbed In Leg in South Africa
A London-based BA captain decided to defy strict rules concerning movement in South Africa nad ventured outside the gated and fortified Melrose Arch community, dubbed Johennaburgh’s safest neighborhood.
I spent a couple days here in 2021 and quite enjoyed my time:
- Melrose Arch, The Gated City Within Johannesburg
- Great Coffee In Johannesburg (Melrose Arch)
- Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch, Johannesburg Review
But I also noted that while secure in the inside, the neighborhood is quite dodgy outside. I went out for a run too beyond the compound, which is why this story struck home for me.
In the case of the British Airways captain, strict rules govern where crew members can venture when in South Africa. Specifically, because of the violent crime problem in South Africa, crews place themselves in danger when venturing out with a colleague.
The news was first reported by the UK Sun, where a source inside British Airways told the British tabloid:
“The rules are there for a reason. Crew are ordered not to leave the hotel compound. But the captain and crew member decided to risk it and go for a jog.
“Soon afterwards they were followed and held up at gunpoint. During a melee, the captain was stabbed in the leg. It was a harrowing ordeal. The pilot was taken to hospital. Everyone is just so thankful he’s okay. It could have been so much worse.”
Indeed, it could have been much worse.
The captain and his entire crew are now safely back in London. It is not clear if he will be disciplined for breaking company rules concerning leaving hotel compounds.
CONCLUSION
A British Airways captain was stabbed in the leg and robbed at gunpoint while out for a run in Johannesburg. Thankfully he survived, though his ordeal is a timely reminder that company policy exists for a reason.
Was South Africa always so dangerous or is the development of recent decades?
or is it, of course sorry for the typo
I was carjacked in Pretoria in broad daylight on a Tuesday afternoon at a major intersection in 1997. The crime in many areas there goes very far back. Cape Town tends to be much safer and I always feel fine walking around at normal times. Jo’burg and Pretoria though, not so much.
Still trying to fathom out what this means:
The captain and his entire crew are now safely back in London. It is not clear if he will be displayed for breaking company rules concerning leave are hotels.
Disciplined…
He should be fired. Rules are rules and he broke them. Like it or not, he agreed with the rules. He was not there on vacation but to work. His stupid decision could probably cost BA a lot of money if because of him the flight was delayed or canceled and affected many passengers.
Normal people really need to watch out for joggers in an unfamiliar area or anywhere. This applies not just in high crime areas like SA but also Thailand and Aruba where a family man staying at a hotel was attacked at 2AM near the beach away from the hotel security in a 4 star. On vacation or a work trip, stay in tourist areas as much as possible. Safety in numbers. Do not go out of the hotel at 5AM to take a jog in some lush but secluded jungle trail in Thailand especially if you are a woman. Stick to running in daylight and when plenty of your own people are around you. Locals have the knowledge to read a situation and know what areas are trouble. Non locals need to be mindful that they can’t do this. We hear stories about people going out for a run and getting killed like that girl in Staten Island. Don’t let fitness put you t risk. You can skip the run at 6AM on vacation even if it’s your routine.
I remember having to see someone in the JP office in Baltimore back in 2015 during the riots. I was advised to only go to the branch and back to the Courtyard, which was right in front of the building even though the riots didn’t reach that area during that time.
Point is, companies enforce rules during travel to certain places for a reason which boils down to getting their employee back in the office without any scratches.
I wonder what Baltimore and Johannesburg have in common …
Feckin use the treadmill!!
I understand why he wanted to leave the area though – very crowded place when i was there. But in hindsight the treadmill would’ve been the better choice.
Good choice of restaurants there as well so i only went outside in an Uber
Being a boss is like being a parent. I would tell my kids that there is a difference between intelligence and wisdom. Wisdom takes experience and experience takes time. I would tell my kids that there is no beating that formula. The individual in this case is the captain of an airplane, probably a very intelligent person. What he did was not wise. I would not fire or discipline the employee(s). Sometimes the experience they went through teaches them more than any words you could say or any punishment could hand out……. unless they do it a second time.
That’s the problem with the word intelligence. People often conflate educated with intelligence but those are two different things. There is also specialization where someone excels in one area like physics, medicine, or programming but has the mind of a child in other areas. It’s why we shouldn’t have faith or trust the system because the system is comprised of these very individuals who appear smart in one area or had the ability to memorize information very well and pass medical school with high marks.
He was told what NOT to do! Every crew is. Sorry, he knew better but hopefully he’ll recover the idiot.
This article comes off as blaming the victim for violating company policy instead of blaming the crime in Johannesburg or the pilot’s decision to run outside the compound. If you wanted to blame the victim, blame him for being thoughtless and running outside the secure Melrose Arch compound.
Think about how this article would be written if it were a tourist stabbed and not a pilot.
Are we taking a tabloid at their word that this is a violation of company policy? Surely a professional pilot union wouldn’t agree to allow their members to be told where they can and cannot go when not working. Strongly discouraged and prohibited are two different things.
I hate when events like this happen. All this does is perpetuate what I believe is misleading information about crime in South Africa. Most visitors who go jogging are exceedingly unlikely to be stabbed in the leg.
Claiming inside knowlegde AND wisdom… may I suggest to change Jerry’s last sentence to “Most visitors who go jogging are exceedingly likely to be stabbed in the leg.” There has been a major issue with all sorts of crime in South Africa for many years and it’s exceedingly unlikely to get better any time soon.
Was warned the area outside the compound is NOT SAFE. Was told point blank by Company policy not to venture outside the compound. Did it anyway and was met with the ramifications of robbery and being stabbed. Absolutely ZERO SYMPATHY for this defiant idiot.