A security guard at Foskor Mine has been trampled to death by an elephant in the same area where a pride of lions went walkabout late last week.
According to mine spokesperson Malesela Mokhondo, the man was an employee of a security company contracted by Foskor Zirconia in Phalaborwa.
Details around the man's death, which occured on Saturday, are sketchy.
On Friday, the Kruger National Park (KNP) said the pride of 14 lions wasn’t one of theirs. “The widely reported pride of lions seen recently in the mining area outside Phalaborwa is not a known pride from the Kruger National Park or the adjacent private nature reserves,” general manager Marisa Coetzee said.
“It has been reported that this pride has been residing for more than a year within the Foskor, Phalaborwa Mining Company and direct adjacent areas, moving along the Selati river system. This area outside but adjacent to the KNP also contains elephant, buffalo and other wildlife.”