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MOSSEL BAY NEWS -  The Limpopo Police are investigating two cases of murder, as well as a case of hijacking, following the deaths of an elderly Mossel Bay couple, Dina (73) and Ernst Marais (71) in the Kruger National Park, on Friday 22 May.

This was confirmed with Mossel Bay Advertiser by Hlulani Mashaba, the Provincial Head for Corporate Communication and Liaison for the Limpopo Police.

Ernst and Dina were visiting the Kruger National Park in Limpopo and were reportedly set to return to Mossel Bay on Friday, when it ended in tragedy.

News24 reported that the couple had checked into the park on Sunday 17 May and were last seen at the Pafuri picnic area on Wednesday morning, 20 May.

According to a statement issued by the South African National Parks (SANparks), following a search operation that was launched on Thursday, the couple's bodies were discovered by tourists, floating in a nearby river inside the Kruger National Park.

It has also been reported that while Ernst and Dina are believed to be from Mossel Bay, they allegedly have a home in a wildlife estate in Hoedspruit, Limpopo, which was visited by the Kruger National Park's security personnel during the search operation, to check if they were at home.

Reynold Thakuli, spokesperson for SANparks, added they also suspected the couple's vehicle, a bakkie, might have become stuck somewhere due to recent rain and flooding in the north of the park.

"Many of the roads are still closed and we had more rain just last week. We even deployed a helicopter on Friday morning, but could not find the couple," he said.

Their bodies were discovered later that day, however their vehicle has not yet been found.

The exact circumstances surrounding the incident are not yet known. Mossel Bay Advertiser will update its readers once more information is provided. 

Also read: Murdered Kruger Park couple had deep love of Mossel Bay

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