‘Bring back our child’: Kidnapped teen’s family pleads for her safe return

The family of matric pupil Oratile Mothibi appealed for her safe return after she was snatched by a man armed with a knife in Magogong village near Taung in the North West.

Her older sister Tumi Mothibi said their mother was finding it hard to sleep or eat.

“Please help us find her, we find it very hard to cope. She is a good child who is just excited to be doing matric this year. Our mother is very sad and cant sleep… she is not well at all. South Africans, please help bring back my sister,” Tumi said on Friday.

Oratile, aged 18, her younger brother and their cousin went to a nearby farm on Sunday to gather wild spinach as they always did. On their way home, they were accosted by a man wielding a knife, who started chasing them.

“The man grabbed Oratile and threatened the other children who tried to rescue her. The boys then ran home and informed their parents about the incident. Police and community have since searched the area without success,” said police spokesperson Colonel Adéle Myburgh.

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Community members allegedly burnt down three rondavels as anger boiled over the kidnapping. Magogong residents accused two women of being behind Oratile’s kidnapping and went out to search for them. Police rescued the women as residents bayed for their blood this week.

Myburgh said residents confronted the women without any evidence tying them to Oratile’s kidnapping.

“It was a tense situation and officers had to rescue the women from the group accusing them of having kidnapped Oratile in order to use her for muthi. But one cannot accuse another of a crime without proof… we understand the community’s anger, but so far, there is no evidence against the two women,” she said.

Tumi said fellow residents were carrying out their own searches and investigations as they couldn’t just wait for the police.

“The last time police came to our home was on Tuesday. We haven’t heard anything concrete from them. We asked them to look into information about the possible suspects, but they did nothing.”

A case of arson was opened for investigation.

Oratile was wearing blue denims, a khaki long sleeved shirt and black school shoes at the time of her kidnapping.

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