Following a meeting with the German tourists who were attacked on the Numbi road on Monday, October 3, the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency has released the name of the tourist who had died in the incident.
Schnarr, his wife, Vera, and Reiner Nuchter and his wife, Andrea, were on their way to a lodge near the Kruger National Park’s Numbi Gate when they were stopped by three armed suspects in a VW Caddy.
Minister of Tourism Lindiwe Sisulu expressed her sadness at the news of the German man’s murder, offering her condolences to the man’s family while calling on law enforcement to act.
“I condemn this murder and robbery in the strongest terms and call for harsh punishment of those responsible,” Sisulu said in a statement.
Minister Lindiwe Sisulu saddened by news of murder of a German Tourist pic.twitter.com/eHoxrM866S
— Dept of Tourism (@Tourism_gov_za) October 4, 2022
The minister pointed out that tourism is among South Africa’s key economic drivers and was seeing a boom in people visiting the country. Sisulu said she would also be discussing ways of ensuring the safety of those visiting South Africa.
She added evidence in the murder case of the late Anni Hindocha, who died while on honeymoon in Cape Town in 2010, pointed to a planned hit. The third death was an accident in Cape Town.
“That is a record of safety and that is a record we’d like to keep. We assure them that South Africa is safe … for tourists, we provide maximum security.”
Sisulu did not mention how many tourists had been robbed in the same period. She was briefing the media on Wednesday evening after meeting the murdered tourist’s wife and tourism stakeholders.
German Ambassador Andreas Peschke, his advisor, Jurgen Kogl, and acting director-general Mmaditonki Setwaba joined the Sisulu at the briefing.
While police indicated in a statement on Wednesday evening three people had been taken in for questioning in connection with the murder, Sisulu said they were arrested.