More than two years after Sylvia Smith disappeared from the South Coast, her family is still searching for answers, with her daughter, Talitha, saying she is tired of hitting dead ends.

Sylvia, also known as Sylvi, was 57 when she was reported missing in June 2024.

The mother and grandmother of four was reportedly last seen near a tidal pool in Manaba. There are also unconfirmed reports that she left the parking lot in a silver vehicle.

During her time on the coast, Sylvia lived in Port Shepstone, Shelly Beach, Margate and Manaba. She sold odds and ends, including jewellery and make-up, and did occasional jobs.

Talitha and her brother, Sean, who lives in London, have been appealing for information that could help establish what happened to their mother.

Talitha last spoke to Sylvia on June 17, 2024. Her mother ended the conversation by telling her daughter she would always love her.

After hearing nothing further from her mother, a case was opened at Navalsig police station in Bloemfontein on September 16, 2024.

Talitha travelled to the coast to search for her mother, but her efforts proved fruitless.

“The investigating officer at the time was too scared to go into Masinenge to look for her,” she added.

More recently, following the circulation of a missing person’s poster on social media, people reported seeing a woman resembling Sylvia at an intersection in Margate and living in Masinenge.

However, when Reaction Unit South Africa, which has been involved in the case, went to investigate, the woman was gone.

Talitha believes two men linked to the case have not been questioned by police and are still walking free.

Before Sylvia disappeared, she had been involved in an abusive relationship with a local fisherman. She allegedly suffered repeated physical assaults, leaving her with injuries that included a chipped tooth.

Talitha says the same man had booked himself into a rehabilitation facility in Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, around the time Sylvia disappeared.

“He claimed that my mother had been killed in Durban, and due to the POPIA Act, we were unable to speak to him and get any further details,” she said.

“After my mother’s disappearance, the other man in question sent messages to my aunt, posing as my mother and asking her for money. My mother spoke excellent English, and this is how we could see this person was trying to impersonate her, but he couldn’t spell words like ‘phone’ correctly.”

For Talitha, the search has been emotionally exhausting, with numerous leads failing to provide answers.

She says she is tired of hitting dead ends and believes her mother deserves justice.

“My mom was a person who helped people in need, who cared for people and loved people regardless. She deserves peace and justice,” she said.

Sylvia has piercing blue eyes, shoulder-length wavy hair, a visible scar on her right hand and another on her right ankle, as well as a chipped front tooth. She has no known tattoos or piercings.

Anyone with information about Sylvia’s disappearance is urged to contact the family on 074-922-3824.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram