‘Whose child is next?’ – Vredenburg community still in shock at matric pupil’s disappearance

Three weeks since matric pupil Romano Fredericks disappeared, the community of Vredenburg is still in disbelief.

The 19-year-old was currently in his matric year at the Louwville High School when he disappeared on 3 August after visiting a friend. According to the community Pastor Francisco Tejada, Romano was dropped off at the crossing near Laingville and hasn’t been seen since.

The disappearance shook the small town near where Joshlin Smith went missing in February.

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“They’re walking around with unanswered questions. People have big concerns over the safety of their children. They have this mindset of whose child is going to be next?,” Tejada told The Citizen.

Concerns about children’s safety

Tejada said the community was worried about safety in the area and believed police should be doing more.

“The infrastructure within the community, like playgrounds, should be safe for our children to play at,” he said.

He said that despite the fears for their children, the disappearance of the two children has brought the community together.

“It has brought unity in the community. We all have a singular focus and that is obviously the safety of our family and our children,” said the pastor.

Joshlin Smith

Six-year-old Joshlin Smith went missing at her home in the Middelpos informal settlement in Saldanha Bay, 26 km away from Vredenburg, on 19 February.

“I think Romano’s dynamics is a bit different than the Joshlin situation. Joshlin’s disappearance was more organized. It was planned, Romano was not,” speculated Tejada.

Tejada is a member of the Patriotic Alliance, whose President Gayton McKenzie said he would establish the Joshlin Smith Foundation to help find missing children and provide support to their families.

“A lot is being done and people are really standing up. People are uniting behind the safety of our children. Some organisations have been formed to protect our kids.”

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