Central SA
Bloemfontein police search for missing seven-year-old─── ZENANDE MPAME 09:20 Sun, 27 Oct 2024
Kopanong police have launched a search to locate a missing child who was last seen on Friday (25/10).
Residents and the family of a girl (7) from Phase 9 in Bloemfontein have launched a frantic search for the little girl.
Bohlokwa Lechuti was last seen by her grandmother when she dropped her off at school on Friday (25/10) morning at the Rekgonne Primary School in Phase 9. When her grandmother went to pick her up after school she was nowhere to be found.
Bohlokwa Lechuti (7) at the Rekgonne Primary School’s prizegiving a week ago. Photo: Facebook
“A missing person’s case was opened at the Kopanong police station on Friday (25/10) evening and a search party was launched immediately,” said Free State police spokesperson Mahlomola Kareli.
“At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing her school uniform – a blue skirt, yellow school shirt, and black school shoes, and carrying a red school bag.”
We urge anyone who may have information on her whereabouts to contact Detective Sergeant Joseph Mbobo on 073 279 3214 or call SAPS on 08600 10111.
Advice from The Pink Ladies is that when someone is missing or you feel like there is something wrong or that something has happened to them, please bear in mind that there is no 24-hour waiting period, there has never been, said The Pink Ladies co-founder and director, Jacqui Thomas.
‘There is no 24-hour waiting period’
- The first thing to do is to check everything in the area they went missing, and do a five-point search, North, South, West, East, and from the actual spot. But don’t take too much time on it especially if it is a child as the first hour is crucial.
- Get in touch with their friends and immediately report to SAPS, particularly if you feel that something has happened to them or they have come into some sort of harm, especially children.
- It is very important to let the organisation know whether the child or adult has some sort of dependency on alcohol and drugs, whether they suffer from dementia or some sort of medical condition that can affect their well-being and their state of mind.
- Even though that information won’t be published, it will be noted that they are vulnerable and that people should treat them with care if they happen to come across them.
