"They Took Everything": Cape Town Car Break-In Leaves Tourists Crashing Out

• A group of young South African tourists had their car broken into in Cape Town on 6 October, losing clothing, IDs and bank cards
• TikToker @sibonelo_4k shared a video showing the ransacked vehicle and empty suitcases left behind by the thieves
• The group revealed that friends had urged them to stay longer in Cape Town, making the robbery even more painful

A group of young South African tourists had their Cape Town trip turned upside down after thieves broke into their car on 6 October and stripped it of nearly everything inside.

TikToker @sibonelo_4k posted a selfie-style vlog showing the aftermath. The back seat was ransacked, one suitcase lay empty, and another was gone entirely. A caption on the screen read "Got robbed in Cape Town 💔."

In the clip, Sibonelo recounted what was taken: a Versace bag, suitcases full of clothing, identity documents and bank cards. The thieves wasted no time using the stolen cards, making purchases at a store called Sana Cash and Carry and withdrawing around R385 from his account.

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One of the group was left with no clothes at all. The window used to break into the car was shattered, and the men joked grimly that they would be driving home as they blew into their hands to stay warm.

What stung most was the timing. The group had been ready to leave but were persuaded to stay longer by others who wanted to keep exploring the city.

"I told them, ' Let's go home," Sibonelo said in the video, "and they were like, no." He acknowledged the irony with a laugh, even as he admitted: "We're laughing, but it's not funny."

Cape Town's crime reality

The incident reflects a broader challenge facing the city. [According to SafeSuburb](https://www.safesuburb.co.za/), Cape Town recorded 61,188 reported crimes between April and June 2026 across its 63 SAPS precincts, including 7,096 property crimes and 7,484 theft cases. Cape Town Central alone logged 4,380 reported crimes during that period, a 10.3% increase compared to the year before.

Watch the video that sparked the conversation below:

Mzansi reacts to the Cape Town robbery

South Africans flooded the comments section on the TikTok page with sympathy, jokes and warnings:

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@GHOST🖤 said:

"They left the shoes — they might be fake."

@Curious wrote:

"The way you said R335 was so dramatic."

@Nickkkiiiii shared:

"Happened to me in December on the first day I arrived — all my luggage was gone (worst trip experience ever). I remember regret; wishing I had just stayed at home."

@Lungie🖤 asked:

"ID... what are they doing with your IDs... I lost my ID, bruv; y'all are scaring me."

@Fanayo wrote:

"You guys think Cape Town is a vacation spot."

@🫧Miss_KG👑 added:

"Thanks for this. I almost paid for a trip to Cape Town."

@Sihle_rsa3 🐐 simply said:

"Welcome to Cape Town."

More on crime in South Africa

• Briefly News recently reported on Sannieshof farmers being praised by SAPS after helping police arrest three bank robbery suspects.
• Lekompo artist Shebeshxt is nearing a year in custody as his bail fight heads to a November court date.
• BiancaSays3 called out misinformation spreading online after the Donovan Marx farm attack.

Source: Briefly News