R100 000 reward for anyone who has info about finding little Bongiwe
Search for missing girl continues three years on.
One summer afternoon in 2015 in Protea Glen, Bongiwe Ngubeni, was on her way to a local spaza shop to buy bread. She was never to be seen again.
Little Bongiwe, who was nine at the time of her disappearance, has been missing for three years now. Life has drastically changed for her mother and her sister since that fateful afternoon on December 1st 2015.
Her mother, Mbali Ngubeni, has been in and out of hospital due to a myriad of mental and physical health problems. Her older sister, who is now 17, does not want to go anywhere besides school in fear of suffering the same as her little sister.
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“Her older sister got her mother to get her transport to and from school. When she comes back from school she gets inside and locks the gate, she doesn’t even want to go out.
“She doesn’t want to go out without her mother’s supervision, the trauma of having her little sister kidnapped is still very intense for her,” said Queen Rabotapi of Thangayo Enrichment Project, an NPO that is assisting in keeping Bongiwe’s name and case alive. Ngubeni was unable to provide us with an interview due to her fragile mental state.
“Every time I meet with Bongiwe’s family, it’s like she went missing yesterday because they are forever in tears on basis of the fact that she is their child and she is her mother’s youngest daughter.
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“The family had so many expectations for her, there are family members who have children the same age as Bongiwe so every time they meet during family gatherings they can’t celebrate because every day is a reminder that she is not there,” Rabotapi explained.
Bongiwe’s primary school, Harmony Primary, has been holding a regular human trafficking awareness campaign in the school since her disappearance according to the school.
The Bring Down Child Trafficking Campaign run by Shireen Ebrahim aims to bring child trafficking down by engaging with schools, encouraging safety by liaising with policing forums available and educating children on how they can best protect themselves.
Her mother has not given up hope of finding her but considering the cases of missing children not being found alive, she has expressed that what she needs most is closure.
“I recently spoke to her and she said that even if Bongiwe is not alive, she just wants to know where she is buried so she can have closure. She basically has 80% hope that she is still alive but there is that 20% that is considering the possibility of the worst case scenario,” Rabotapi elaborated.
Rabotapi encourages parents to be aware of the whereabouts of their children at all times and find stimulating ways to keep them entertained in the house if they are unable to go outside with them to play. There is a standing reward for R100 000 for anyone who has information that will lead to finding little Bongiwe.
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