By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider 

A 69 year old Canadian tourist was murdered during a bush braai at a picnic site near Phabeni Gate in Kruger National Park last night by a private game guide who accidentally fired a gun. 

“Based on the preliminary information available at this stage, a private guide attached to the concession operator allegedly accidentally discharged a firearm, resulting in the fatal injury of a 69 year old guest from Canada,” said a SANpark spokesperson JP Louw.

 “The guest was part of a group booked outside of the park and only came in for a bush braai offered by a private concession with a valid permit to operate the facility in the park” said Louw. Louw has also stated that the police are currently investigating the incident.

 This is another report of murder occurring in the Kruger as last month South African tourists, Ernst Marais (71) and his wife Dina (73) were also murdered in the national park, as a search for the couple was conducted after they failed to return to their camp by closing time. 

Other tourists discovered their bodies floating in a river near Crook’s Corner, an extremely remote area in the park’s far northern section where the Levubu and Limpopo Rivers converge as they had both sustained multiple stab wounds.

 Three people have since been arrested for the murder. The third person was located in Zimbabwe at the weekend, while the second was found in Xai-Xai, Mozambique. They were found due to the couple’s stolen vehicle found in Chokwe, Mozambique where the first arrest was made. 

The South African government intends to initiate a formal extradition process in order to bring all three suspects to South Africa to await trial.

 Many visitors staying outside the Kruger occasionally choose to organise sunset safaris and bush braai packages. 

Operators would ordinarily collect the guests from nearby towns or from accommodations that surround the park. A typical outing includes a game drive in the afternoon which is followed by a dinner at a secure bush boma or a picnic site within the park. 

The murder of the Canadian tourist has not cast a shadow of doubt as to whether or not the park can provide adequate safety for its guests.