Dina Marais, 73, and Ernst Marais, 71, from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape, have been identified as the two tourists found stabbed to death in the Pafuri section of the Kruger National Park on Friday 22 May 2026. Their green Ford Ranger bakkie remains missing. Image: Supplied/SANParks
Dina Marais, 73, and Ernst Marais, 71, from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape, have been identified as the two tourists found murdered in the Pafuri section of the Kruger National Park on Friday 22 May 2026. The couple were stabbed multiple times and their bodies were discovered floating near the confluence of the Levubu and Limpopo Rivers. Their green Ford Ranger bakkie remains missing. Limpopo police have launched a double murder and hijacking investigation and a manhunt is underway.
South Africa is in shock following the brutal murder of an elderly couple inside the Kruger National Park in what Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Willie Aucamp has described as the first incident of its kind in the park’s long history. Dina Marais, 73, and her husband Ernst Marais, 71, from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape, were found stabbed to death near the confluence of the Levubu and Limpopo Rivers in the Pafuri section of the park on Friday 22 May 2026. Their green Ford Ranger bakkie has not been recovered and a double murder and hijacking investigation is now underway.
How the Discovery Was Made
The Marais couple entered the Kruger National Park through the Pafuri Gate on Sunday 17 May 2026 and checked into their holiday accommodation. They were last seen alive at the Pafuri picnic site on Wednesday morning 20 May 2026. Shortly after that sighting all communication with them ceased and they failed to return to their camp as scheduled.
Camp staff raised the alarm on the evening of Thursday 21 May 2026 after noting that the couple had not returned. SANParks immediately launched a search operation involving ground teams and a helicopter that continued through the night and into Friday. It was other tourists in the park, not the search teams, who made the gruesome discovery on Friday afternoon. The bodies of the couple were found floating near Cross Corner, where the Levubu and Limpopo Rivers meet, in a remote area of the Pafuri section in the far north of the park.
Limpopo police spokesperson Hlulani Mashaba confirmed that investigators found both victims had suffered multiple stab wounds to their upper bodies, indicating they were attacked with a sharp object. The vehicle the couple had been travelling in, a green Ford Ranger bakkie, was missing from the scene and has not been recovered at the time of publication.
An Unprecedented Incident
Minister Willie Aucamp expressed profound shock at the news, describing it as unprecedented in the park’s history. “It is the first time in the history of the Kruger National Park that an incident of this nature has been reported,” the minister said, acknowledging the gravity and rarity of what had occurred inside one of Africa’s most visited and celebrated conservation areas.
SANParks CEO Rey Thakhuli confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday. “The management of South African National Parks has learned with shock and sadness of the discovery of bodies of two tourists in the Pafuri section of the Kruger National Park on Friday 22 May 2026,” Thakhuli said. SANParks extended its deepest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of the deceased.
The Investigation
Limpopo police have opened cases of double murder and hijacking and launched a manhunt for the suspects responsible. The Pafuri section of the Kruger National Park where the murders took place is situated in the far north of the park in Limpopo province, bordering Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The remote nature of the area presents significant challenges for investigators but also narrows the likely routes that suspects would have used to access and exit the park with the stolen vehicle.
No arrests had been made and no suspects had been publicly identified at the time of publication. Limpopo police have indicated that the investigation has been designated as high priority given the gravity of the offences and the implications for the country’s tourism industry.
The Pafuri Region
The Pafuri section of the Kruger National Park is one of the most remote and ecologically diverse areas of the park, known for its ancient fever tree forests, diverse birdlife and the confluence of the Luvuvhu and Limpopo Rivers. It is located in the northernmost tip of the park, accessible via the Pafuri Gate, and is a favourite destination for experienced bush walkers and self-drive visitors seeking a less crowded and more wilderness-oriented experience.
The remoteness that makes Pafuri so appealing to experienced safari visitors also means that assistance can take considerably longer to reach in an emergency. The area borders Zimbabwe to the north and Mozambique to the east and has historically been an entry point for cross-border crime, including poaching syndicates and smuggling networks operating through the park’s porous border areas.
A Community in Mourning
News of the Marais couple’s deaths has sent shockwaves through Mossel Bay and the broader Western Cape community from which they came. The couple had entered the park for what should have been a leisure holiday at one of South Africa’s most iconic destinations. They did not come home.
South Africans online have expressed profound grief and outrage at the murders, with many calling for an urgent review of security protocols in the remote sections of the Kruger National Park and demanding that the suspects be found and prosecuted with the full force of the law. Tourism industry representatives have also called for clarity on what additional security measures SANParks and law enforcement will implement to prevent a recurrence.
Anyone with information about the murder of Dina and Ernst Marais or the whereabouts of their green Ford Ranger bakkie is urged to contact the South African Police Service on Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or to submit information anonymously through the MySAPS App.
Editors Note This is a developing story. No arrests had been made at the time of publication. Mzansi Today Live will update this article as further information becomes available.