A distraught family from Extension 6, Palm Ridge, is desperately looking for their son Tumelo David Noko (17), who went missing during a school trip at Germiston Lake in 2003.
Tumelo went missing during the Grade 11 pens down celebration at Germiston Lake ,which was organised by a group of learners from Winile Secondary School, Zonkezizwe.
The family is pleading with classmates, friends or anyone who might have undertaken the trip to Germiston Lake on June 16 of that year to come forward and assist the family with information that can help trace their loved one.
The search for Tumelo was initiated 19 years later by his younger brother Sipho Noko. He told Kathorus Mail that he was 12 years old when his brother went missing. He is 31 years old and he does not know his friends or the people who were around his brother at the time he disappeared.
However, from what he was told by his sister Nthabiseng Noko, his brother was at their grandmother’s place in Zone 4, Zonkezizwe. He left with his classmates to Germiston Lake for a pen-down event to celebrate after writing exams on June 16.
“He never returned home. His friends brought his school bag and blazer the following day. On their arrival they asked where Noko was, they explained that while they were at Germiston Lake they were chased by the police,” said Sipho.
“My family went everywhere looking for him, the whole of 2003. They went to mortuaries, hospitals and prisons. At the moment nobody knows his friends because my mother was the one tracing them. She passed away in 2018 and we still do not know them,” he explained.
Sipho said he made numerous attempts to trace classmates and friends of his brother. He went to WSS to request the Grade 11 class list of 2003 to trace them.
“I was able to find a few individuals on Facebook whose names matched the list and the school they attended. Their last posts date back to 2016 and there are no contact details on their accounts.”
Sipho said this is a painful experience for the family because his mother, Sinah Joanna Noko, was depressed before her passing.
“I went to Eden Park SAPS in an attempt to open a case, and the police said I should report the case to Zonkezizwe SAPS. I went to Zonkezizwe but they said they would not be able to open the case because it is old.”
Another attempt he made was to find the ex-girlfriend of his brother who lived in Zonkezizwe.
He said his sister lives in Zonkezizwe and she managed to ask the family of the girl his brother was dating about the incident.
“A lady from that family told her that Tumelo came to the house to collect his girlfriend but it turned out that she did not have money, as a result, she could not go with them. Instead, my brother went to get another girl to travel with to Germiston Lake.
“Unfortunately the girlfriend passed away. We are now hoping to trace the lady who went on the trip with him. I am sure she can help us understand what happened on that fateful night.”
Sipho revisited Zonkezizwe SAPS where he successfully registered the case.
He said the best chance of tracing former students is by getting their physical address from the school and ID numbers for those who have relocated. However, this can only be done by police because the school cannot release private information to anyone, he added.
The station’s media liaison officer, Sergeant Rufus Tema, said police are investigating the case and anyone with information may contact the investigating officer Sergeant Nikkelo Mvubu, or the family, on 068 088 4424.
