Shocking reality
BRIXTON- Since the initiation of official statistics in 1994 over 900 of the children reported missing in South Africa have not been recovered.
As the search of Kimberly Nyazou (12) continues, South African statistics on children who go missing are shocking. Nyazou from Brixton went missing on 27 August, leaving her family distraught.
A child goes missing every six hours in South Africa, according to figures released by the South African Police Service Missing Persons Bureau. This adds up to a total of 1 460 children per year. Fortunately, according to Missing Children South Africa’s statistics, more than 87 per cent of them are found within the first week. Sadly, this still leaves at least 13 per cent of the children not being located.
According to Nicky Rheeder, national coordinator of Missing Children South Africa, an average of 680 cases per year are reported to the organisation.
“This figure increases every year – not necessarily because more and more individuals go missing, but because more people become aware of Missing Children SA and the service we render,” she said.
When children go missing, they are found in various conditions. Each case is different. Some children are unharmed; others are deceased while others have been harmed physically in some way, according to Rheeder.
No matter the time period, the organisation continues to look for missing children.
“We never ever give up on looking for missing individuals. We have even found children and adults years after they have gone missing. Therefore, there is no time limit. We do, however, stress the importance of reporting your child or loved one as soon as possible. The sooner the police can start investigating and searching, the fresher the leads will be,” she insisted.
Ellah Chirigo, mother to Nyazou, is still pleading with the community to help her find her daughter.
Kimberly has brown eyes and straight back plaited hair. She was wearing pink sandals, grey tracksuit trousers with hints of pink, with a white and pink top and a blue jacket.
If you have any information on Nyazou, contact Brixton Police on 011 248 5607 or Ellah Chirigo on 0838828944.
Details: Missing Children South Africa- info@missingchildren.org.za or 021 950 1546.
