POLOKWANE – The Butt family desperately needs assistance to find Ghulum Abbas Butt (43) who was last seen in Ga-Matlala, Vlak on Saturday, 31 October.
According to Salome Hussain, Butt family representative, Butt was on his way to see his son on the day he went missing at around 20:00 but never returned. “He phoned one of his friend to say he was running out of gas and arranged to pass by his friend’s place to borrow 5 l of fuel. A few minutes later he phoned his friend again to inform him that his car had come to a standstill while he was on the road,” Hussain said. She added that Butt’s cell phone died while he was giving his friend directions.
Butt’s friend thought this was perhaps because he had run out of airtime. He tried to return Butt’s call but the cell phone just kept ringing and no one answered.
He then decided to try and find Butt. He found Butt’s bakkie on the side of the road as well as his shoes and cell phone. Butt was nowhere to be found.
Hussain further said they opened a case at Vlak Police Station but the police did not seem to take the matter seriously. “The Vlak police did not even try to arrange a search or assistance such as a helicopter or sniffer dogs. They promised to do their best to get to the bottom of the matter but nothing is happening. The villagers searched for him but they could not find him and were afraid to go deep into the bushes,” Hussain said. She added that she thinks the police do not want to act because Butt is a foreigner.
She said they will approach Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela’s office if the police don’t act on the matter and help them find their brother.
“The poor man is crippled, he cannot fight back and or defend himself. He cannot walk properly as he has a spinal cord problem. We plead to the police and citizens to help us find our brother.”
Matlala police station spokesperson, WO Molatelo Moreane confirmed the case and said they are busy with the investigation. “The victim is a Pakistani. His friend claims that he saw around five men standing next to the victim’s bakkie but they fled the scene in a white bakkie when they saw the friend’s car approaching. We will get to the bottom of the matter and bring the perpetrators to book,” Moreane said.
