SANParks has heightened its security measures following the brutal murder of a retired Mossel Bay couple in the Kruger National Park last week, the first such incident in the Park’s 100-year history.

The bodies of the 71-year-old Ernst and 73-year-old Dina Marais were found floating at the intersection of the Levubu and Limpopo rivers near Crooks’ Corner in the Pafuri section of the park on Friday afternoon, 22 May. They had been stabbed multiple times, and their vehicle was missing.

READ: Kruger Park victims were an elderly Mossel Bay couple

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Willie Aucump, phoned the family to convey his condolences on Sunday. Members of the SANParks Board, Executive Management and SAPS senior management also visited the next of kin to extend condolences and offer support.

The family shared that the couple were long-standing and deeply committed visitors to Kruger. They strictly adhered to park rules and would never have placed themselves at risk by exiting their vehicle where it was prohibited.

SANParks Head of Communications JP Louw says gate security cameras have confirmed that the couple’s missing vehicle did not exit through any of the nine access gates or the two international border posts into Mozambique.

“In the vicinity of the crime scene, KNP rangers followed what they believed to be tyre tracks of the missing vehicle. The tracks point to a vehicle that was driven through the bush, over the fence and into Mozambique. There is, however, no confirmation that the tracks are of the missing vehicle.”

Louw says while the police investigation continues, SANParks is implementing additional risk mitigation measures across specific areas of concern in the Nxanatseni North Region.

This includes deploying additional monitoring and ranger resources in specific areas of concern and enhancing technology systems to strengthen surveillance and early warning capabilities.

Louw has emphasised that across its vast landscape, Kruger National Park remains a very safe area to visit and work in with effective security protocols that remain in place.

“We again extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. Out of respect for the family and to protect the integrity of the investigation, SANParks will not provide further comments at this stage.”

Limpopo police Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba says there have been no further developments in the case, as of Monday morning, and the investigation continues.

A manhunt has been launched for the armed robbers who broke into the home of former International Affairs Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor. 

“Lieutenant General Dimpane has also called for a manhunt following an armed robbery and housebreaking incident at the home of former Cabinet Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor,” read the National South African Police Services statement.

It‘s believed that Pandor and her husband were among the occupants at her Pretoria home when suspects wearing balaclavas broke in on Friday night and held the occupants at gunpoint before ransacking the home. 

The incident happened hours after Acting Police Minister, Professor Firoz Cachalia, shared the national crime statistics, during which time a 18.3% reduction was recorded in the number of cases of robbery at residential premises, between January and March this year.

According to News24, the suspects fled with valuables and the family’s vehicle, which was later found abandoned in Mamelodi East. 

The Acting National Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, said officers will visit the family to update them on the investigation. 

“Police are working around the clock to trace and apprehend those responsible.”

Dimpane further noted that the District Commissioner of Tshwane, Major General Samuel Thine, who is visiting the Pandor family, will also be assessing police interventions around housebreaking and property-related crimes.

Limpopo police are investigating two cases of murder and hijacking after the shock discovery of the bodies of two elderly South Africans in the Kruger National Park near a river area on Friday, 22 May.

Initially, SANParks and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said the victims were two tourists, but it has since been reported that they are a retired couple from Mossel Bay, Ernst and Dina Marais, who also owned a property in Hoedspruit.

The news broke on Saturday morning of the gruesome discovery, with SANParks saying their bodies were discovered in the Pafuri section (Nxanatseni North Region) of the Kruger National Park.

A search operation was launched on Thursday evening, 21 May, after camp staff noticed the pair had not returned to camp.

News24 has reported that the couple had checked into the park on Sunday, 17 May and were last seen at the Pafuri picnic area on Wednesday morning, 20 May.

As the search continued, SANParks says other tourists made the “gruesome discovery of two bodies near a river area” on Friday.

Rangers were alerted, and it was also established that the vehicle the Marais couple had been travelling in was missing from the scene.

Minister Willie Aucamp said it is the first time in the history of the Kruger National Park that an incident of this nature has been reported.

Aucamp, the Board and Management of SANParks have extended their deepest condolences to the affected family and friends.

In a statement released on Saturday afternoon, Limpopo Police confirmed they had launched a manhunt for murder and hijacking suspects.

Police revealed that the bodies of the two victims, who have now been confirmed as 71-year-old Ernst Marais and his 73-year-old wife Dina, were found floating at Crooks’ Corner at the intersection of Levubu and the Limpopo River.

Crooks’ Corner is in the north of the park and quite remote.

The Police, Emergency Medical Services personnel, SANParks officials and members of the Border Management Authority responded to the scene.

Preliminary investigations reveal that the victims were stabbed to death. Their vehicle, a green Ford Ranger double cab, is still missing.

Lieutenant General Hadebe has assured the public that maximum resources have been mobilised to ensure that those responsible are traced and brought to justice.

News24 reported that there is a strong suspicion that the suspects are Mozambican and police are attempting to follow their trail into the neighbouring country. Police declined to comment.

Anyone with information that may assist in the ongoing investigations is urged to contact the investigating officer, Lieutenant Colonel Rodney Ndou, on 082 807 2666 or 082 414 2481.

*This article has been updated as more information has become available

Provincial Serious Violent Crime detectives in the Western Cape have launched a manhunt after seven people were killed in a series of shootings in Khayamandi, Stellenbosch, between Friday night and Saturday morning.

Police say the first incident happened in Mgabadeli, where a 46-year-old man was shot dead shortly after returning home from work. In Thubelisha, two men aged 27 and 32 were gunned down at around 9 pm.

Minutes later, officers discovered the bodies of a 27-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman inside a shack in Fire Street. Police on patrol were then alerted to another shooting in Luyolo Street, where a 33-year-old man was found dead.

In a fifth incident early on Saturday morning, the body of a 37-year-old man with gunshot wounds was discovered on 7th Avenue.

Police are still investigating the motive for the attacks and whether the shootings are linked. No arrests have yet been made.