Prince Mogane, 19, stalked the couple as they returned to their hotel room in Pilgrim's Rest, 250 miles northeast of Johannesburg.

He opened fire after Diane Conway, 60, and her husband John, 55, from Warminster, Wiltshire, refused to hand over any cash.

Mogane, a golf caddy, pleaded guilty at the Middelburg Circuit Court to attempted murder, armed robbery and the possession of arms and ammunition and will be sentenced on 11 December.

Massive manhunt

Richard Mashego, 42, a waiter at the hotel, was also arrested in connection with the murder, and will appear at the Pilgrim's Rest magistrate's court on 5 February.

Mrs Conway died after being hit in the stomach after the incident in October.

Her husband, who works part-time at the army's infantry headquarters in Warminster, was hit in the neck and face.

Police launched a massive manhunt, and Mogane was arrested a few days after the shooting.