ALERT: Marais Couple’s Ford Ranger Crosses into Mozambique After Kruger Park Robbery

In a chilling case that has shaken South Africa’s tourism sector, retired Mossel Bay couple Ernst Marais (71) and Dina Marais (73) were brutally murdered in Kruger National Park last month. Their green Ford Ranger double cab was hijacked and driven across the border into Mozambique, where it was later recovered—underscoring the cross-border nature of the crime and exposing glaring security gaps in one of Africa’s premier wildlife reserves.

The couple entered the park on May 17 to celebrate Dina’s birthday. They were last seen at the remote Pafuri picnic site before vanishing. Their bodies, bearing multiple stab wounds and with hands bound, were discovered on May 22 in the crocodile-infested Levubu River. The stolen vehicle was tracked and recovered on May 26 in Chókwè, Mozambique, prompting swift international cooperation.

Limpopo police, SANParks, and Mozambican authorities moved quickly. Two Mozambican nationals, aged 32 and 33, were arrested in early June. Extradition proceedings are underway. The breakthrough followed coordinated efforts involving South African Police Service (SAPS), Mozambique’s Sernic, and the Wildlife Justice Commission.

This was no ordinary theft. The savagery—multiple stab wounds and bodies dumped in a river—suggests either extreme panic or a deliberate attempt to eliminate witnesses. While robbery appears the primary motive, the brutality raises questions about whether the couple stumbled upon something far more sinister, such as poaching activity in the park’s northern reaches.

The case has forced SANParks to bolster security in the Nxanatseni North region with additional rangers and monitoring equipment. For South African tourists and international visitors alike, the incident serves as a stark reminder that even iconic protected areas are not immune to violent crime. As the family prepares to bury the couple this week, the arrests offer a measure of closure—but the full story of what unfolded in those final hours remains under investigation. Cross-border justice must prevail if confidence in regional tourism is to be restored.