The stabbed bodies of two tourists have been found in the famous Kruger National Park, in northern South Africa, the Police reported this Saturday, which has activated an operation to arrest those responsible for the “brutal murder”. The victims are “a 71-year-old white man and a white woman, whose identity is still being confirmed,” said the South African Police Service (SAPS) office in the northern province of Limpopo.
The tourists arrived at one of the park’s campsites last Sunday in a green Ford Ranger double-cab pickup truck. The couple was last seen last Wednesday morning. at the Pafuri picnic area. The search operation began when the couple did not return. On Friday afternoon, “tourists discovered two bodies floating in Cross Corner, on the banks of the Levubu Rivernear the confluence with the Limpopo River, and immediately alerted the Police,” the SAPS said in a statement.
Preliminary investigations revealed that “The deceased man had stab wounds to the upper part of his body, while the woman also had serious injuries. on the upper part of the body, allegedly inflicted with a sharp object.” On the other hand, the victims’ truck has disappeared.
Homicide and kidnapping
Although the circumstances surrounding the event are still unclear, the Police have opened “two investigations into homicide and kidnapping.” The SAPS added that is working closely with park authorities as investigations continue. For its part, the public entity South African National Parks (SANParks) “deeply” regretted the discovery of the bodies, news that has caused “consternation” in the nature reserve. “It is the first time in the history of the Kruger National Park that an incident of this nature has been recorded,” stressed the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Willie Aucamp, in a statement.
SANParks added that relatives of the deceased have been informed and will be provided with “assistance with transport to Limpopo as well as accommodation and repatriation costs”. South Africa, a country marked by great social inequalities, has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. The country recorded 5,181 homicides in the first quarter of 2026 (about 58 per day), the acting Minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia, reported this Friday.
Kruger National Park is the largest in South Africawith an area of almost two million hectares. It has a high density of wild animals that includes the five species of big game: lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffaloes. The reserve is an important tourist attraction in the southern country, which receives nearly two million visitors per year.
