Manager of Tintswalo Safari Lodge paralysed after being shot in spine

Emily Leuner (38), the general manager of Tintswalo Safari Lodge in the Manyeleti Nature Reserve, will not be able to walk again after she was shot in her spine, allegedly by a disgruntled employee.

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.

Van der Spuy said that Leuner was allegedly 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.

According to a source, after surviving the shooting, Leuner was taken to the Tintswalo Hospital in Acornhoek before being airlifted to Johannesburg.

“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 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 Captain Magonseni Nkosi confirmed that the suspect has died, and that the investigation is ongoing.