South Africa: German tourist shot dead during robbery near Kruger National Park

Armed men shot dead a German tourist during a robbery in South Africa's eastern Mpumalanga province on Monday.

Local police said the man, along with three others from Germany, had been traveling to the Kruger National Park, a popular tourist attraction.

Police have opened a murder investigation and launched a manhunt for the suspects.

What have police said?

The tour group were stopped by armed suspects as they made their way to Numbi gate in the south western corner of the park.

According to local police chief Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, the attackers demanded the doors of the vehicle be opened, at which point the driver locked doors.

Mohlala said one of the suspects then shot the man in the upper body, through the window. The suspects subsequently drove off without taking anything from the group.

News of the murder has been circulating on social media in South Africa.

South African tourism boss 'saddened' by attack

The country's 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.

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.

With its abundance of wildlife and pristine natural beauty, South Africa is a popular tourist destination and receives many German visitors each year.

However, the country also has a myriad of challenges, among them, soaring rates of violent crime. It is widely regarded as having the highest levels of unemployment in the world and is also the country with the highest level of wealth inequality.