Of the eight females, seven were under the age of 19. All three males were above 20 years of age and mentally ill. 32-year-old Tinyiko Angel Mashimbye of Muyexe village, Giyani, went missing on October 8. On October 10 she was found by police in Tzaneen unharmed. She had already reunited her family. She was referred to social workers for further assistance.
“18-year-old Miracle Eunice Gafane from Makhuva village did not return home on Saturday, September 24 after attending a birthday party with her older sister. She was later found hiding in her new boyfriend’s house at Basani village in N’wamakena on October 13,” said Const Ridgwell Rikhotso, spokesperson of the police in Giyani. He said police experience challenges with missing persons’ cases as family members do not always divulge all the information about the person reported missing.
“We plead with family members to not lie when they give us information about their loved ones. They usually hold back information about the person and tell us what they think we want to hear. Many parents know that their daughters have started dating and may be with their boyfriends, but they do not mention it. Mentioning it helps the police and we know where to start searching for the person, it gives us an idea of what to expect when we head to the place,” he said.
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“Parents usually report girls missing to get the police to fetch her from her boyfriend’s place. They should also mention the mental state of the person, as it keeps the person safe from people who don’t know him or her. For example, the person may visit someone in another village and start having episodes. If people do not know that the person is mentally ill, they call community members, and the person may end up being beaten. “If they tell us, our report will alert people to the fact when they come across that person,” he added.
He added that once a case is opened, family members must always have their phones on and be willing to answer in case of an update. “When an underage girl is found at her boyfriend’s place and the boyfriend is over 17 years old, he may be arrested for statutory rape. There should be constant communication between parents and children. Parents must always know the whereabouts of their children. They must know the people their children socialise with and parents should have the phone numbers of the parents of their children’s friends to confirm if their children are actually there. That way they can ensure their children are safe at all times,” he concluded.
