SA begins extradition bid for Kruger tourist murder suspects


South Africa is expected to begin the formal extradition process of two suspects linked to the murder of tourists at Crooks Corner, in the northern Kruger National Park.

The suspects have appeared in a court in Mozambique after their arrest.

The couple, Dina and Ernst Marais, from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape, were killed about three weeks ago after they had entered the park two days earlier.

Their bodies were later discovered on the banks of the Levubu River.

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Willie Aucamp, says the arrests followed a cross-border cooperation involving park authorities and law enforcement agencies in South Africa and Mozambique.

“I would like to thank all of those who have worked tirelessly to ensure these arrests. This includes the SANDF, the South African Police Service, and the Mozambican authorities. South Africa will now start the formal extradition process to get the suspects to South Africa to stand trial for this heinous crime. I have engaged with my colleagues in the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, as well as Justice, to emphasise the importance of securing the suspects’ return to South Africa to face trial for this heinous crime.”

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Reporting by Nsuku Shiluvana .