FEARS of a reported missing child were soon put to rest on Thursday when the five-year-old girl was later found safe and sound at a boarding house in Arboretum.
Postings on social media suggested the child, Yenziwe Zulu, was taken from the Arboretum Primary School, but it later transpired the girl had mistakenly boarded the wrong taxi and was dropped off at the boarding house.
While no missing person case was opened at the Richards Bay police station, the ‘missing person’s report’ soon went viral as people shared the post in an attempt to locate the child.
When the house mother realised the child was not from that home, she contacted the school.
Richards Bay SAPS Communications Officer, Captain Debbie Ferreira, confirmed that no kidnapping had taken place, but encouraged parents to take extra safety precautions if their young children were travelling by public transport or in lift clubs.
‘We encourage parents to get to know the drivers transporting their children to school and to be in communication with them if there are any changes to travelling arrangements.
‘Parents can also teach their children basic safety rules, such as to never approach a vehicle unless they are absolutely sure they they know the occupants and to never accept lifts from strangers.
‘As a safety measure, parents must write their contact details and addresses in the children’s message books, as well as include a card with all their contact information in a case of an emergency.
‘In a separate and unrelated incident on Friday morning, another five-year-old was dropped off at the wrong school, but teachers there were quick to locate her school.’
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