Johannesburg (AFP) - A 22-year-old woman was mauled to death by a lion on Tuesday at a private game lodge close to South Africa's capital Pretoria, local media reported.

The victim was attacked by the lioness near Hammanskraal, roughly 45 kilometres (30 miles) north of Pretoria around 0900 GMT, the local Rekord newspaper reported citing the emergency services.

"When Netcare 911 paramedics arrived at the scene, bystanders had initiated (resuscitation). Tragically, the victim had sustained severe injuries and she died at the scene," Nick Dollman, spokesman for the Netcare 911 ambulance service, told the paper.

Netcare 911 confirmed the incident on its Twitter account.

Police were investigating, Dollman added.

Earlier this month a suspected poacher was mauled to death and eaten by a pack of lions close to South Africa's famed Kruger National Park.