Cele to visit crime scene after German tourist was fatally shot

Police minister Bheki Cele and national commissioner Fannie Masemola are expected to visit Mpumalanga on Wednesday as they intensify the investigation into the fatal shooting of a German tourist near White River in Mpumalanga on Monday.

Mbombela police are investigating a murder case and have launched a search for three suspects.

The police ministry said Cele and Masemola would visit the crime scene.

The Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism has offered a R50,000 reward for information leading to the successful prosecution of the perpetrators.

SA National Parks (SANParks) confirmed to TimesLIVE the Kruger National Park’s Numbi Gate has been identified as a hotspot for crime after other incidents in the past. 

SANParks said criminality affects the livelihoods of the people living around the reserve.

“This is a huge setback for the tourism sector and the country. We have been working with the Lowveld Business Chamber and national department of tourism to promote and market tourism products to our overseas customers, and this latest criminal act undermines our efforts to restore the sector to pre-Covid days.

“Tourism is a huge employer in a region with some of the highest unemployment rates in the country. We are confident the law enforcement agencies will apprehend these heinous criminals and bring them to book,” said Kruger National Park spokesperson Ike Phaahla.

Increased security patrols and vehicle recognition cameras are operational in the Numbi Road area, he said, as SANParks works with authorities to try to ensure the safety of tourists on all roads leading to the park and other tourist destinations in the area.

“Tourists are advised to plan their trips carefully, only make stops at designated areas such as garages and service stations, try to travel in convoys, and where possible use alternative gates.”

Phaahla said the Paul Kruger and Phabeni gates can be used as gateways to other lodges around the Kruger National Park.

TimesLIVE

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