Closure of Numbi Gate under consideration – Sisulu

The area hit the headlines following the death of 75-year-old German tourist Jorg Schnarr, who was gunned down by armed hijackers near White River in Mpumalanga.

Minister Sisulu addressed the issue of safety in the sector in Parliament on Tuesday.

She told MPs the suggestion to close the gate must be taken into consideration.

"We learnt after going into the details of this particular incident that actually that the Numbi gate is not a very safe place and we have taken the advice of members that maybe the gate should be closed. 

"I am informed that there is a very unhappy community around the Numbi gate, and the issue is about land, its land claims and there is constant instability in that area."

Sisulu said during her conversations with Schnarr’s widow, she was told the sign to the Numbi Gate was not visible.

"When we met the family of the deceased the wife told us that the sign to the Numbi gate is not very visible from the road that they were travelling on, and that they had to slow down because there are humps there because it is to slow down the traffic. 

"So, they were caught in a situation that they had to slow down because there are humps and this is done because there is a school next to the road. 

"So, when you put all of that together I think the advice that comes I think should be discussed with the owners of the lodges and see if we can't find another alternative route. 

"We do not want another situation like this so that suggestion is well taken, and we will explore that." 

"In fact it is true that the Mpumalanga people hardly use the Numbi Gate because there is a great deal of protests around that particular area. We will ensure that we are in touch with the lodge owners and make necessary adjustments as we have taken note of the detail of the particular tourists that were there.”

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