More than a decade after 19-year-old Fikile Twala vanished without a trace, his family believes they are finally nearing the truth and possibly the location where his body is buried.
On May 8, the police and the family visited a farm situated between Vosloorus and Tokoza, where Fikile is allegedly buried, with plans to exhume his remains. Using a tractor loader backhoe (TLB), the police dug up a
section of the farm, but they were unable to find any remains.
The police are planning to return to the same spot to broaden their search for Fikile.
According to the spokesperson for the Ekurhuleni SAPS, Captain Neldah Sekgobela, the Vosloorus
SAPS detectives, working with the Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC), are investigating a site they believe is linked to Fikile’s 2011 disappearance.
“After several unsuccessful attempts to locate the site, an excavator has been arranged to dig under the supervision of the LCRC and the investigating officer, with hopes of a breakthrough in solving the case.
“If remains are found, they will go for DNA testing to confirm if they belong to the missing person. Further updates will follow as the investigation progresses.”
What began in January 2011 as a missing person case has evolved into a haunting story of silenced witnesses, delayed investigations and a family left to seek answers the authorities never delivered.
Now, with an eyewitness pointing to a burial site and the police K9 units detecting scents consistent with human remains, the Twala family is pleading for closure and the chance to finally bring home their son.
“We are tired of waiting,” said Lerato Twala, Fikile’s sister.
“We believe some people know what happened but stayed quiet all these years. Now, we’re doing what the police should have done 14 years ago.”
Fikile was last seen in Vosloorus in early 2011.
According to the family, a known man, now deceased, came to their home looking for Fikile. Upon learning Fikile wasn’t there, he allegedly told a relative that the boy would “reap what he sowed”.
Later that day, a family member reportedly saw Fikile, who worked as a taxi driver, being chased by men in a car. That was the last time he was seen.
The main suspect, the man who came to their house earlier that day, was arrested shortly afterwards but released six months later due to a lack of evidence. The case went cold, and the family’s repeated appeals for further investigation were ignored.
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Confession
In 2023, a potential breakthrough came, not from the police but from a man who claimed he saw what happened to Fikile.
“He told us he was hired to tow a vehicle that was stuck, with the suspects inside, not far from
the farm. When they arrived, he allegedly saw the suspects remove a body wrapped in a blanket from the car’s boot and bury it. He now believes the body was Fikile.”
The man told the Twala family that guilt had kept him awake for years and that he came forward in hopes of helping the family find closure.
From April 29 to May 3, the family, accompanied by the police, visited the site several times, but logistical delays, including no tractor loader backhoe (TLB), stalled excavation efforts.
The police K9 units did detect a human scent at the site.
New investigators, old pain
Because the initial investigating officers are no longer involved – one retired, the other transferred – Lerato said a new team now handles the case.
Despite the change, the Twala family remains determined.
“We are pushing this forward and will not stop until Fikile is found and laid to rest,” Lerato said, adding that the man who came forward might be a witness and possibly involved in the crime.
Support
Since publicly sharing their story in April, the Twala family has received growing support from the public and local organisations. Some have offered help with funeral arrangements should Fikile’s remains be recovered.
While grateful, the family says what they need most is action.
“It’s been 14 years. It’s time.”
They described Fikile as a loving, kind and down-to-earth young man.
Also Read: How to report a missing person
