According to Janie van der Spuy, spokesperson for the Tintswalo Collection group of hotels and lodges, Leuner is currently in the ICU at Millpark Hospital in Johannesburg after she was airlifted from Hoedspruit on Friday evening, July 19. Van der Spuy said that Leuner was shot by a staff member who had been dismissed after a disciplinary hearing.
“The perpetrator returned to the lodge and shot her four times in the upper body and legs, before taking his own life. Emily is stable and conscious, but has sustained serious spinal and lung injuries, which will require extensive treatment and rehabilitation,” Van der Spuy said.
Leuner’s exact prognosis is still unclear at this stage.
According to a source, after surviving the shooting, Leuner was taken to the Tintswalo Hospital in Acornhoek before being airlifted to Johannesburg.
Also read: Manager of luxury Tintswalo Lodge in Manyeleti shot
“Lisa Goosen, the CEO of the Tintswalo Collection, is in Johannesburg to provide support to Emily and her family, including her husband Alistair, the regional general manager of Tintswalo Safari Products, and their young children.” The Leuner family has expressed their gratitude to the local community and the travel and hospitality industry for their kind messages of support.
“Tintswalo requests that the family’s privacy is respected during Emily’s recovery process going forward,” she added. Leuner and her husband were appointed manager couple at Tintswalo Safari Lodge in 2017.
They are well-known in the safari industry and used to work at Sabi Sabi.
Mpumalanga SAPS spokesperson, Capt Magonseni Nkosi, confirmed that the suspect has died, and that the investigation is ongoing.
