By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Police Minister Bheki Cele says three people have been taken in for questioning in connection with the murder of a German tourist in Mpumalanga province.
Hijackers accosted a group of tourists outside the Kruger National Park near White River on Monday.
Cele visited the crime scene on Wednesday.
“They are not arrested, our people of interest, those are in the hands of the police. We are working to find out how far we are going with that.
“We believe that we will be able to crack the case very soon, since the police have done the job and they believe they are not very far in cracking the case.
Beyond this, he said government is in the process of determining the amount of required crime fighting interventions and resources for the area.
“We will all be coming together to work on the situation, especially on preventative measures… [These will] bring on board the communities. We believe that communities here will help, even those who have grievances with the companies. We will need to bring everybody together.
“We have been given the information of the resources that might be needed by the Provincial Commissioner,” the Minister said, noting that proper patrolling is needed.
Monday’s shooting is the latest attack on this stretch of road leading to Numbi Gate at Mdluli Safari Lodge. In January this year, a mother and her two children were victims of an attempted hijacking by two men who shot at their vehicle on the R538 near a taxi rank in Mganduzweni between the Numbi Gate and White River.
The family had enjoyed a holiday in the game reserve and were on their way home to Pretoria when the incident occurred. One of the children was injured.
Following a spate of attacks on tourists on the route to Numbi Gate, a meeting was held by KLCBT to address violent crime in the area.
KLCBT, in collaboration with other stakeholders, have been working to protect travellers on the road since April this year, allegedly without incident until Monday’s shooting.
The severity of the implications of criminality on the tourism industry was amplified recently by chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Tourism, Tandi Mahambehlala, following a presentation made by SAPS on the scourge of violent attacks on the Intercape bus company.
Mahambehlala emphasised that the recent crime stats released by Cele had triggered uncertainty about visiting South Africa among potential overseas visitors. These acts of criminality also put South Africans in danger. She said criminality destabilised the tourism industry, which subsequently impacted the nation’s GDP.