Durban — The National Accommodation Association of SA has called for urgent intervention by the SAPS after the shooting of Emily Leuner, manager of the luxury Tintswalo Safari Lodge in Limpopo.
Leuner was reportedly shot by a disgruntled former employee who later took his own life. According to an article published by “The Herald”, the shooting was confirmed by the Tintswalo Collection Group. They said Leuner was shot by a disgruntled employee who was dismissed earlier after a disciplinary hearing. The lodge has also asked for the family’s privacy to be respected.
Chairperson of the National Accommodation Association of SA, Rosemarie van Staden, said that the incident was a great shock to her because she knows Leuner as a very kind-hearted person and over the years she has worked well within the industry.
She also said she believes that the family of Leuner should inform the public of the events that led up to the incident as it could serve as a cautionary tale for others in the industry. She said that a lot of times families do not speak to the media after an incident has occurred, forgetting that even though the situation is difficult, many people could find themselves in such situations and would not know what to do.
She also said that she represents all the guest houses and B&Bs in South Africa and in her work she has noted that there are many security challenges in the industry.
“Often when criminals or suspects are on the run from the SAPS, they lodge into guest houses and that puts our lives in danger along with our staff. The world has become such a dangerous place, but technology is advancing and we need a biometrics system from SAPS that we could use when people are checking in to scan their fingerprints and alert us if they are wanted,” said Van Staden.
She said that the police often do not attend to their reports of someone who looks suspicious and, unfortunately, one has to hope for nothing to go wrong because once it does, it is often too late.
The SAPS has not commented on the incident.
On Facebook, Bobby DeVoursney said: “Everyone please lift up prayers for my good friends Emily Leuner along with her husband Alistair Leuner and their three kids including an infant. Emily and Alistair are two of the most kind and gracious people I have met in all my travels. They truly care about people and the fact that this was a shooting done by a disgruntled employee is so sad. No one deserves to be treated this way!”
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