South African teacher missing in Vietnam

A 22-year-old South African man who travelled to Vietnam to teach abroad has been missing since May 18.

According to Facebook posts made by his aunt, Santjie Dixon, his phone has been off since May 18. Dixon added that police and the embassy have been contacted and alerted to his disappearance.

His work visa, which was sponsored by the Institute for Training and Economic development (ITED), expired on Sunday.

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Since his radio silence, friends, girlfriend Jody Kurash, fellow teachers, and family have been posting on social media platforms to try and find him, or at least figure out if he is safe.

Bothma with girlfriend Jody Kurash. Image: Facebook

Dixon told News24 that Bothma last spoke to her on May 18, after which he tried to call her three times, and had not been heard from since.

Vietnamese authorities have told Dixon that they did not have any records of Bothma leaving their borders.

Dixon is hoping that somehow Bothma catches his booked flight back to Johannesburg in early June. And despite numerous leads and social media post shares, nothing has come to fruition as yet.

Authorities have assured Bothma’s family and friends that his disappearance has been prioritised. The US consulate in Hanoi has also assisted Kurash in providing her with support and procedural explanations.

Kurash has set up a Facebook page called Find John Bothma, where all information on his disappearance and possible leads are available.

Updates to follow as more information is made available.

(Compiled by Nica Schreuder)

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