Siphelele Nketo
THE family of Ndalo Jona (7) has experienced significant hardship over the past few days since his disappearance from the informal settlement of Marikana in Kokstad.
His sudden disappearance has caused substantial pain and distress especially for his father who was admitted to hospital. Ndalo was reported missing on Sunday evening, July 12, at around 7pm, after he left home to look for his soccer ball. He did not return home. Before his disappearance, he was with his parents playing games on a cellphone.
“Ndalo left the house to look for his soccer ball outside. After five minutes without his return, I went outside to look for him. I even shouted his name, but he did not respond,” Ndalo’s mother Sikhangele explained.
Sikhangele said the only thing she saw in the yard was the shoes Ndalo was wearing when he left the house. The cellphone he was playing with also disappeared with him.
“When we looked around the neighbourhood, we could not find Ndalo. The next day, we reported it to the police station,” Sikhangele said.
This missing incident has led Ndalo’s father to the hospital bed due to distress. A devastated aunt, Thembisa Mtshizana, was concerned about the shoes found in the yard, saying that Ndalo loved to wear shoes, and he could not go a single day without wearing shoes.
“Why would Ndalo leave his shoes behind when he disappeared?” Mtshizana questioned. She was also concerned about the recurring incidents of missing children in the area of Marikana, referring to the case of Lathitha Mtolo (7) who was reported missing in February this year. Mtolo’s home is reported to be not far from Ndalo’s home, and that raised suspicion in the community that the perpetrator is around the area. The community also believed that the perpetrator might be targeting children. A call was made to safeguard children in the area and for parents not to send children to shops during the evening.
DA Councillor Bradwyn Marnce has called on SAPS, K9 search units and local security structures to handle Ndalo’s disappearance with the greatest urgency. “The first 24 to 48 hours are absolutely critical in a missing child investigation,” he said, and further called on SAPS to deploy every available resource to search for the missing Ndalo.
