Pretoria: As police intensify their investigations into the fatal shooting of a German tourist near White River in Mpumalanga, Police Minister Bheki Cele will head to the crime scene this morning.
Cele’s entourage will include National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola.
The minister’s spokesperson Lirandzu Themba said: “Four German tourists were travelling on Numbi Road, en route to Numbi Gate at Mdluli Safari lodge, when they were stopped by three armed… (men) who instructed the tourists to open the doors of their vehicle.
“When the driver reportedly locked all the doors, one of the… (gunmen) allegedly shot him in the upper body through the window. The driver died on the scene.”
The gunmen then sped off in the Germans’ vehicle.
On Tuesday, civil rights organisation Action Society said the murder of the German tourist was an “absolute tragedy”, but it also highlighted the perilous society that ordinary South Africans lived in, one characterised by violent crime and a worrying murder rate.
Speaking to IOL, Action Society’s director of community safety, Ian Cameron, said the cold-blooded murder of the German national got the limelight, yet scores of South African citizens were murdered every hour.
“Why should this (case of the murdered German tourist) get the attention?… This is the reality for all people living in South Africa.
“Three people are murdered every single hour. Yet now, the minister of tourism (Lindiwe Sisulu) wants to say something,” said the anti-crime activist.
The Pretoria Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany said it had noted the “tragic incident” in which four German nationals came under attack in Mpumalanga while heading to a lodge near the Kruger National Park’s Numbi Gate.
Sisulu has expressed sadness over the death of the German tourist.
Reacting to the news, which has grabbed international headlines, she said she would engage her Cabinet colleagues in the security cluster to discuss the safety of tourists in South Africa.
“I would like to convey my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the tourist who was killed in this incident. I also call on law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in bringing to book the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” she said.
“Our country receives a large number of tourists from all over the globe, including Germany… This high number of tourists is one of the ways in which our tourism sector has been able to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I will engage my Cabinet colleagues in the security cluster to discuss plans to ensure the safety of tourists who visit our country. I condemn this murder and robbery in the strongest terms and call for harsh punishment of those responsible,” Sisulu said.
The minister emphasised that inbound tourism was one of South Africa’s key economic drivers and a provider of jobs for the country’s youth.
IOL