The bodies of two tourists that were discovered in a river near Crooks Corner in the Kruger National Park on Friday, May 22, have been identified as Dina (73) and Ernst (71) Marais.

In response to the deaths, SANParks is implementing additional security measures, and has reassured visitors that the park is safe to visit and work in, with effective security protocols already in place.

ALSO READ: LISTEN: Two tourists found dead in northern KNP

Key new measures include deploying additional monitoring and ranger resources in identified areas and enhancing technology systems to strengthen surveillance and early-warning capabilities.

Ongoing murder investigation

The couple was flagged as missing on May 21 when KNP staff noticed that they had not returned to camp. A search was launched that evening and continued into the following day, when their bodies were reportedly discovered by other tourists.

According to Limpopo SAPS, preliminary investigations indicate that Ernst sustained stab wounds to the upper body, while Dina also suffered severe upper-body injuries apparently caused by a sharp object. Police have opened cases of murder and hijacking.

ALSO READ: Elephant encounter takes a scary turn in KNP

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Willie Aucamp, along with members of the SANParks board, executive management and SAPS senior management extended their condolences and offered their support to the next of kin.

The family said that the couple were long-standing and deeply committed visitors to the park. They said the pair strictly adhered to park rules and would never have knowingly placed themselves at risk by exiting their vehicle in a prohibited area.

Missing vehicle

Following further investigation, law enforcement officials in the KNP confirmed that security footage showed that the couple’s missing vehicle, a green Ford Ranger double cab, had not exited through any of the park’s nine access gates or the two international border posts into Mozambique.

ALSO READ: Pienaar community hunts down lioness after attack

“In the vicinity of the crime scene, KNP rangers followed what they believed to be tyre tracks of the missing vehicle,” said SANParks spokesperson JP Louw. He added that the tracks indicated that a vehicle was driven through the bush and over a fence into Mozambique.

“There is, however, no confirmation that the tracks belong to the missing vehicle,” Louw explained.

LISTEN:

“This incident is unprecedented in the more than two-million-hectare park, which shares a combined 374km border with Mozambique and Zimbabwe. No similar incident has been recorded in its 100-year history,” he added.