Child (10) missing since December 19
“It has been a difficult time for us. There was nothing festive for us; we spent the time wondering and searching, hoping our daughter will show up in time to enjoy all the goodies we bought her for Christmas.”
Such is the pain for the parents of 10-year-old Luyanda Lerato Radebe, who has been missing from her Malvern home on Persimmon Street since December 19 last year.
Mr Samuel Radebe and Ms Thembelihle Khanyi said all they want to know is what happened to their daughter. “We are ready for any eventuality; we want her back, no matter what condition she may be found in. She is our daughter and we can never replace her,” said Mr Radebe.
Luyanda was last seen wearing a dress with blue, pink and black vertical stripes. She had plaited hair and was barefoot. “She was outside playing and we heard she had thrown a stone at a neighbour’s car. We called her in. A little while later she went to play outside again and that was around 5pm. That was the last time we saw her,” said Ms Khanyi.
The parents said they looked for Luyanda for about five hours, before reporting her missing at the Cleveland SAPS. “She was looking forward to going to Grade 5 this year at Denver Primary School. We had also planned on spending our Christmas holidays in KwaZulu-Natal with family and had already started packing for the trip,” said Mr Radebe.
This is not the first time Luyanda has gone missing. In December 2012, she went missing for a day and was found in Doornfontein. “This has paralysed me. How do you raise a child for 10 years and you wake up one day and she has disappeared without a trace?” asked Mr Radebe. He said he cannot sleep, eat or think at the moment. “How does one carry on as normal? When I drive around and see children playing on the street, I wonder about Luyanda. Has she eaten, is she safe?” he asked.
Constable Mpho Mashakane, of the Cleveland SAPS, said they were doing all they could to find Luyanda. “We have a search party out looking for Luyanda. We have put out posters with her photo on them so members of the community can assist us in our search. We know it can be frustrating, but we are trying all we can,” said Const Mashakane.
Anybody who can assist in finding Luyanda can contact Constable Mabala from the Cleveland SAPS Social Crime Prevention unit on 071 186 6836.
