“Please Inform SPCA”: SA Concerned After Lion Is Spotted Casually Strolling Down Limpopo Road

“Please Inform SPCA”: SA Concerned After Lion Is Spotted Casually Strolling Down Limpopo Road

A lion was filmed walking unbothered along the R40 between Phalaborwa and Hoedspruit in Limpopo on 25 May 2026. A TikTok video posted by NewsNexusOfficial captured the big cat treating the public road like its personal walkway. South Africans watching online were not impressed with the safety situation.

Lions
Lion on the road close to Okaukuejo Camp. Visitors looking from their vehicles. Image: Education Images/Universal Images Group
Source: Getty Images

The sighting did not come as a shock to locals familiar with the area. Phalaborwa sits right on the unfenced western boundary of the Kruger National Park. That open boundary means lions move freely between the park and surrounding communities.

When lions roam the neighbourhood

Roaming prides and young males are a known reality for Phalaborwa residents. The big cats have been spotted on mining properties, golf courses, and in surrounding villages before. For many people in the area, a lion on the road is not their first rodeo.

But for South Africans watching online, the footage was a different kind of wake-up call. Many raised serious concerns about the safety of drivers and pedestrians on that stretch of road. The idea of rounding a bend and finding a lion in your path hit differently for those far from Limpopo.

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Wildlife experts have long called for better awareness campaigns along routes bordering the Kruger. The Phalaborwa area remains one of the most active corridors for lion movement outside the park.

Watch the video below:

More about SA lions

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Jim Mohlala avatar

Jim Mohlala (Editor) Jim Mohlala is a Human Interest writer for Briefly News (joined in 2025). Mohlala holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Media Leadership and Innovation and an Advanced Diploma in Journalism from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. He started his career working at the Daily Maverick and has written for the Sunday Times and TimesLIVE. Jim has several years of experience covering social justice, crime and community stories. You can reach him at jim.mohlala@briefly.co.za