A 53-year-old man was arrested on Monday, 16 December, after allegedly threatening to kill a Baboon Watch monitor with a firearm and assaulting him in Constantia, Cape {town} Etc reports.
The incident occurred on Saturday, 14 December, on Rhodes Drive, a residential street on the edge of the Table Mountain National Park.
According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the suspect confronted Benson Chapasula, a Baboon Watch monitor, after allegedly hearing gunshots from his property.
The man emerged, reportedly using racial slurs, and then threatened the monitors with a firearm, which he allegedly pointed at another monitor, Nolan Gericke. When the man struggled to cock the gun, Chapasula intervened, only to be struck in the chest and ribs with the weapon.
The situation escalated when the suspect allegedly punched Chapasula while they struggled for control of the firearm.
A security officer, Thandabantu Mkile, arrived at the scene and managed to separate the two men, though the suspect reportedly knocked Chapasula’s two-way radio onto the ground and smashed it before retreating to his property.
The police later confiscated a 9mm pistol with one magazine, but no ammunition. The suspect, who was identified by three witnesses, was granted bail of R1 500. He is due to appear in court on 19 December, 2024.
The Baboon Watch team is employed to monitor the Constantia 2 (CT2) baboon troop in the area, especially after the City of Cape Town withdrew rangers from the troop in April 2022.
The assault is part of rising tensions between some residents and the local baboon population.
In recent years, there have been other threats and incidents involving firearms against baboon monitors and activists.
Baboon Matters, an organisation that employs the Baboon Watch team, expressed outrage at the attack, with Jenni Trethowan, the group’s representative, condemning the violence and racial slurs.
‘Unfortunately, this assault is part of a larger trend of increasing hostility towards baboon monitors and the baboons themselves,’ Trethowan said.
‘We’ve warned that people are more at risk of being struck by a stray bullet than from a baboon attack.’
According to Daily Maverick, the tension reached a boiling point when, in April 2023, a resident obtained a protection order against baboon activist Gerry Higgs, following the shooting of a baboon, leading to its euthanasia.
In December 2022, another resident threatened to shoot any baboon entering his property.
Despite these incidents, recent court actions, including an out-of-court settlement and a memorandum of agreement between the City of Cape Town, SANParks, and CapeNature, are offering some hope for better baboon management.
The settlement extends the Baboon Strategic Management Plan and aims to address the rising conflict between urban communities and baboons.
The arrest of the suspect follows calls for greater support for baboon monitors and stricter measures against residents who resort to violence over human-wildlife conflict.
The Baboon Watch team and other activists continue to call for communities and authorities to work together to ensure the safety of both people and baboons in the area.
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Picture: Brian Kungu / Unsplash
