Durban - The mother of now 5-month old baby Lwandle Mdletshe, who was allegedly taken from his Chatsworth home in March by an armed man, says she has sought help from traditional healers in a bid to find her child.
Speaking to The Mercury this week, Zinhle Mdletshe, 36, said she had sleepless nights wondering whether her child had eaten or was being kept warm.
“There is nothing under the sun that I have not done to ensure that my child returns home safe. The police have also not said anything or given any response to our case.
“The only response I have received was from a traditional healer that said Lwandle is well and safe, but they cannot indicate the direct location,’’ said Mdletshe.
She said she was still praying for her child’s safe return.
Police were not able to provide an update on the case. Earlier this year, police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said Chatsworth police were appealing to community members to assist in the search for the (then) 2-month-old.
Bianca Van Aswegen from Missing Children South Africa said there were no recent statistics on how many children were reported missing in the country.
“The last stats that were reported was in 2013 by the Missing Person Bureau of SAPS. Stats only give us a general indication of the problem we are facing. Many cases go unreported due to some reasons such as people being too scared to report cases or being in rural areas that are unable to get to a police station for assistance.”
She added that the main issue with missing children cases was that the report needed to be made to the police as quickly as possible.
“People still tend to wait before reporting a person or a child as missing. This causes that time lapse and makes it more difficult in finding a missing person or child.
“People should also not wait in reporting a missing persons case, there is no waiting period in reporting a person or child as missing.”
She also urged parents and guardians to educate themselves and the children on safety measures.
“Communities also have the responsibilities to keep our children safe.”