The SA National Parks (SANParks) has urged tourists to use alternative entrance gates into the Kruger National Park after the tragic death of a German visitor to the country.
Last week, tragedy struck the tourism sector after a 67-year-old German tourist was shot dead on Monday in what is believed to have been a botched hijacking. He and three other German tourists were travelling on the Numbi Road en route to the Kruger National Park's Numbi Gate when they were attacked.
According to the Department of Tourism, the German tourists arrived in the country on September 20, landing at Cape Town International Airport.
They stayed in Cape Town for five days, then proceeded to Durban and stayed there for four days. From Durban, they travelled to Drakensberg and stayed there for two nights, and then on Monday, October 3, drove 600km to Mpumalanga.
Three suspects were taken in for questioning by the police after the incident but were subsequently released.
SANParks has urged tourists to consider using other entrance gates into the Kruger after the deadly attack on the German tourists and a subsequent fatal shooting earlier in the week.
SANParks acting CEO Hapiloe Sello said the organisation is deeply saddened by the recent spate of attacks on visitors en-route to the Kruger, particularly on the road to the Numbi Gate south of the park and urged tourists with active and future bookings to use other entrances to the park.
On behalf of the staff and board of SANParks, she sent her heartfelt condolences and prayers to the family and friends of the deceased and thanked the government and all South Africans for the outpouring of support after the tragic incident.
“We fully appreciate that this incident has brought a lot of apprehension to many of our loyal local and international visitors which could result in cancellations for planned visits to the park and surrounding areas. It is thus important for us to remind our loyal visitors that Kruger has a total of 10 gates which tourists can safely enter from,” Sello said.
She added that in the south of the park there were five other entrances namely Paul Kruger, Phabeni and Orpen Gates through the R40 from White River as well as Malelane and Crocodile Bridge through the N4 toll road towards Komatipoort in Mpumalanga. In the north of the park, visitors can enter via Phalaborwa, Punda Maria or Pafuri and lastly, Giriyondo border post allows access directly from Mozambique.
Sello said with the tourism industry in the midst of a post-Covid recovery plan, such incidents undermined the marketing efforts of tourism stakeholders.
She called on the law enforcement agencies to leave nothing to chance in bringing the perpetrators to book.
“We also urge members of the adjacent communities to the Kruger National Park to assist with any information that could lead to the arrests of the suspects,” said Sello.
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