The family of Tebogo Ramapya (20) has appealed to residents for assistance in locating him after he went missing from Diepkloof Zone 2 on July 10.

According to his mother, Mmathapelo, her son was returning home to South Hills after visiting his grandmother in Diepkloof when he disappeared.

The family of the St Aquinas College Grade 12 learner said they are devastated after failing to locate him.

“This whole situation is draining me emotionally. I cannot sleep or work — I just want us to get him back. He turned 20 years old on September 7, and we could not even celebrate because he is not home with us,” Mmathapelo said.

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She added that since his disappearance, she has received various phone calls claiming that her son assaulted a woman and stole cellphones.

“The caller said they never found the cellphones in his possession, but they want to punish him for the assault. They also demanded R5 000 for his release, which I could not give them. The last call we received was on September 7, when the caller gave us a vehicle registration number and urged us to trace it.”

Mmathapelo alleged that the search led to two of her son’s acquaintances in Hillbrow and Hillcrest, where an investigating officer examined a mobile phone.

According to Mmathapelo, a woman claimed she had purchased a new device because her previous one was broken, but when the investigating officer examined the old phone, it was found to still be in working condition.

“The investigating officer found messages on the phone that suggested the woman may have known more about my son’s disappearance than she had initially disclosed to police.”

A missing person case (case number 368/08/2026) was opened at Diepkloof Police Station on July 13, and Mmathapelo urged anyone with information regarding her son’s whereabouts to come forward.

Ramapya was last seen wearing a black jacket and black track pants.

Soweto Urban has reached out to Diepkloof police to confirm the claims regarding extortion calls. A response was not received at the time of publication.

Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts can contact their local police station.