Reward of £3,000 after British tourist is killed in South Africa

A British tourist was shot dead and her husband was seriously wounded in their hotel room in a tourist town in South Africa's Mpumalanga province yesterday.

A £3,000 reward is being offered to help find the killer of Diane Conway, who died instantly when she was shot in the stomach in the former goldrush town of Pilgrim's Rest, near Kruger National Park.

A team of 67 detectives was working to track down the killer, who is believed to have been lying in wait for Mrs Conway and her husband, John, as they returned to their hotel room. He shot them after they refused to hand over any cash.

Police superintendant Danie Hall said the Conways, who were staying at the Royal Hotel, had eaten dinner in the main dining room and returned to their room at about 7.45pm.

The hotel is the only one in the town, and while its prominent front entrance faces on to the main road, the rooms are situated in separate guest-house type buildings behind the main hotel. Mr Hall said it appeared that a man had hidden in the back gardens, waiting for the couple, and then confronted them as they unlocked their room and pushed them inside.

A police spokeswoman said: "Mrs Conway was shot in the stomach and died instantly while her husband was shot in the head and is in a serious condition in hospital."

Mr Conway is a retired Army major who operated some businesses in South Africa and regularly visited the country. He had taken his wife this time for a short holiday. They had been due to fly home last night.