Durban — With the recent surge of people found murdered after they were reported missing in Durban, organisations dealing with missing persons have asked the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious move around them.
Missing Children South Africa’s national co-ordinator and criminologist, Bianca van Aswegen, said there had been a rapid rise in kidnappings and human trafficking after the national lockdown.
“People are reported missing every day, although recent statistics are not available. Police put out stats the last time in 2013 and we, as an organisation, do not put out stats.
“Although they are not generally available, they give us a general indication of what we are facing in South Africa regarding children and people going missing,” Van Aswegen said.
She said there were varied reasons as to why some cases weren’t reported.
“Some of the reasons could be that some people are in rural areas and they are not able to open cases, and some people are scared to go to the police and open cases.
“So there are many cases that actually go unreported that we are not even aware of, and stats only give us a general indication of missing children and people in South Africa.
“But there is an increase in cases reported yearly to us,” Van Aswegen said.
She urged the public to contact a missing persons organisation urgently should anyone go missing.
“Parents must ensure that they educate and warn their children about stranger danger, and put a little bracelet with their names and contact details on their wrists, so that people know who to contact. Children that are mentally challenged need to be taken care of more,” she said.
Van Aswegen said fake jobs, social media posts and online advertising played a huge role in kidnappings and human trafficking.
She added that people needed to be extra cautious because this could happen to anyone, children and adults.
Dawn Gounden, of Renegades Search and Rescue, said the increase in missing persons since the beginning of 2023 often stemmed from minors leaving home, issues of narcotics abuse, fear of loan sharks, elders who have been documented with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and kidnapping and hijacking.
Many who have gone missing have become victims of accidents or assault and are taken to hospital or their bodies are taken to the state mortuary.
Families open missing persons reports at local police stations and seek assistance from SAPS in the hope of finding their loved love, said Gounden.
She said there was no waiting period to report a person missing. She advised the next of kin to take a clear printed copy of the most recent photograph, which would assist in locating the missing person.
There had been an increase in missing persons found dead and deemed as unidentified in state mortuaries.
It was therefore imperative to check hospitals, state mortuaries, prisons and police holding cells, and to request information of the missing person’s correct name, said Gounden.
Meanwhile, the Daily News recently reported that a Durban University of Technology student was found in the Phoenix Mortuary last week. He had last been seen at a tavern in St George’s Street in Durban.
KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the case had not been reported to the police.
Another incident is that of a 66-year-old man who was found dead in the Umvoti River last week. He had been reported missing three weeks ago, and the police said an inquest docket had been opened at the Glendale police station.
KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said KZN police could not say whether there had been an increase or decrease in missing persons cases recently as stats were released by the police minister on a quarterly basis only.
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