Showing images of a frail former president Nelson Mandela was the right thing to do as the world needed to see him, the ANC said.

Durban - It was a dream come true for Olympic silver medallist Khotso Mokoena when he leapt over a creek of crocodiles in Tongaat, KwaZulu-Natal, it was reported on Tuesday.

"I think I'm half-man, half-croc," he told The Star of his leap on Monday at Crocodile Creek, which is home to more than 5 000 Nile crocodiles.

Mokoena, whose Sesotho surname translates as "he who swears by a crocodile", told the newspaper it was something he had wanted to do for a long time.

The number of rhinos poached in South Africa since the beginning of the year has increased to 249, according to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA).

The Kruger National Park remains the hardest hit, with the number of rhinos poached since last week increasing from 167 to 180. A total of 21 were poached in North West, 18 in KwaZulu Natal, 17 in Limpopo and 13 in Mpumalanga.

Three lions were released into Mountain Zebra National Park outside Cradock in the Eastern Cape on April 25, becoming the first free-roaming lions in the area after an absence of over 130 years.

Park Manager, Megan Taplin, said the decision to introduce lion into the park was mainly for biodiversity reasons.