A mother from Cape Town is engulfed in distress after her daughter, a teenager, vanished more than a week ago, with her anguish deepened by the local police’s disheartening response.
Seventeen-year-old Ongeziwe Kamlana, a matric pupil at Fezeka High School located in the Gugulethu township, has been unaccounted for since Saturday, February 17. Reports indicate the young girl was last seen at a local carwash in the company of a male friend.
Nondumiso Fanti, 44, is battling her worst fears since her daughter disappeared. Recounting the last moments she saw Ongeziwe, Fanti shared,
“She came back from her school’s Saturday classes. I didn’t notice what she changed into after her school uniform; I had fallen asleep. It’s known that she was last spotted around 8:15 p.m. at a carwash in the Barcelona informal settlement near Lwazi Primary School, heading home with a boy.”
The disappearance has mobilized the family and friends in a frantic search for Ongeziwe, spanning several locations within their community. Despite their efforts, Fanti’s attempt to officially report her daughter missing at the Gugulethu Police Station brought additional distress. She was initially deferred, being asked to return with a photograph of Ongeziwe and then to wait further, citing a non-existent “waiting period” for filing such reports.
“I was instructed to return on Monday with a photo, and then again told to come back Tuesday. They mentioned a waiting period. We’ve approached organizations dedicated to finding missing persons, but the lack of a case number has hindered our efforts,” Fanti explained.
In their relentless quest, the family and their allies have scoured the Nyanga K.T.C and Gugulethu locales, reaching out to hospitals and police stations, hopeful to find any lead on Ongeziwe’s whereabouts. Plans are underway to extend their search to hospitals over the weekend.
Addressing the reported procedural misstep by the police, Western Cape police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie, clarified the official stance on missing person reports.
“Be advised that there is no waiting period to report a missing person. We have a standard operational procedure for handling such cases. Any deviation from this procedure by our members triggers a disciplinary investigation. We encourage the complainant to contact station management to pursue a formal inquiry into their experience,” Pojie stated.
The case underscores the critical importance of swift action and thorough adherence to protocol in the search for missing persons, reminding authorities and the community alike of their roles in ensuring the safety and well-being of all citizens.
