A distraught family is desperately searching for their loved one who has been missing for the past five days. It is believed 20-year-old Stephanus Francois Bothma, also known as Fanie, was last seen in the south of Durban.
According to his family, Bothma has a mental illness. He has green eyes, a beard and long curly hair. He is tall in build and has tattoos on his chest. He was last seen wearing the same brown jacket he is wearing in the photo. At the time of his disappearance, Bothma was carrying an army or camouflage bag.
In a Facebook post, the family’s spokesperson, Melissa Odendaal said Bothma is believed to be in either the Bluff, Wentworth or Amanzimtoti area. According to Odendaal, their search on Tuesday, July 20, yielded no results.
“We haven’t heard anything yet. They did a search last night (July 20) and were unsuccessful. We are also still busy with the police for a missing person’s case number,” she said.
She said after her initial post, an unknown man contacted her and claimed to know Bothma’s whereabouts.
“This person phoned and said they wanted money for Fanie’s safety. The police advised that we shouldn’t phone the number again because these might be dangerous men. The only thing we can do is wait and pray,” she added.
Odendaal thanked all those who shared her posts and were keeping her family in their prayers, encouraging them to not stop with their search.
If you have spotted Bothma anywhere, call the nearest police station, CrimeStop on 086 001 0111, or any of his relatives on either 071 111 6561 or 082 312 5293.
