A senior manager at the SANParks Environmental Crime Investigative Unit who was killed following a hippopotamus attack at the weekend, has been described as an "important member of the unit."
Kobus de Wet died after a hippo stormed the area where he and his wife were camping in the Kruger National Park.
In a short statement, SANParks said details were still sketchy and the circumstances around the incident were under investigation.
Meanwhile, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister, Barbara Creecy, said De Wet played a leading role in the effort to combat rhino poaching and a plethora of environmental crimes in and around the country's national parks.
Last year, a woman was trampled by a giraffe at a private game lodge in Hluhluwe in northern KwaZulu-Natal. Her 16-month-old daughter who was also trampled died on arrival at a doctor’s office.
The incident took place at the Kuleni Farm, according to the SAPS. It is believed that the woman worked at the lodge as a tour guide.
Meanwhile, Minister Creecy has also expressed condolences to the family of the department's director of Climate Change Mitigation Policy, Regulation and Planning, Mushudu Owen Mundalamo. He died after a short illness.
Creecy said he was a key member of the government’s climate change team and had recently been promoted into a position where he was playing an important role in the development of policy and regulations, and contributing to planning, to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change being felt across the country, and the world.
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