Two Swiss tourists staying at a guest house in Walmer were attacked and one was hit on the head with a crowbar during a robbery early on Monday morning.
The attack took place at the 17 on 5th Avenue Guest House situated across from the Time Square Shopping Centre in Heugh Road, Walmer.
According to police the two Swiss women, aged 51 and 60, were in the Bay as part of their holiday to South Africa.
Both were scheduled to leave for Cape Town on Monday.
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the two women were woken at about 3.40am when they heard a noise at their chalet door.
“The light was on and they went to the door to see who was outside. They found three men armed with knives and a crowbar. In an attempt to keep them out, the woman tried to hold the door closed, but were overpowered.
“On gaining entry, the men then hit one of the woman on the head with a crowbar. They threatened the two women and grabbed their bags containing passports, foreign currency and their cellphones,” she said.
“The men then fled and the women managed to alert the owner, who lives on the premises. The owner then raised the alarm.”
Naidu said the crowbar used in the attack was found outside, hanging over the perimeter fence.
“It appears the suspects gained entry and exited the premises by scaling the perimeter wall,” she said.
Naidu said the injured woman was treated by ambulance staff on the scene and did not require further medical attention.
The guest house owners declined to comment on the incident. In recent months, several accommodation establishments in the Bay area have been robbed.
In September, two people were robbed by gunmen who broke into their room at a guest house along the R335 in Addo.
In August, a couple in their 80s from Cape Town were robbed and assaulted at the same guest house.
Also in August, a couple visiting Nelson Mandela Bay for the Isuzu Ironman 70.3 World Championship was robbed inside their guest house in Chelsea while, in another attack, managers at a luxury safari reserve situated on the R72 between Kenton-on-Sea and Colchester were also robbed.
Earlier in 2018, visitors staying at several other guest houses in the Bay were also robbed.
In most cases, the guests were not injured. All the cases of robbery are still under investigation.