ANOTHER CHILD DISAPPEARS WITHOUT TRACE

MBABANE – Another day, another child disappears in our community.

This time, residents of Hholoshini, a few kilometres from Mbabane city, are still searching for an eight-year-old Phiwayinkhosi ‘Titi’ Kunene who disappeared without trace on Wednesday afternoon.  According to a relative, the Grade II pupil of Phakamani Primary School had just returned from school, where her elder siblings were called by their father Bongani Kunene whose kombi had broken down. The kombi is a source of transportation for the people of Hholoshini and Mbuluzi.  Phiwayinkhosi was left at home while Sibahle, Msimiso and Asakhe rushed to assist their father with his kombi. “It is suspected that someone came and snatched the child without anyone noticing. Upon return, both her parents and the other siblings did not find her, and police were informed on the same day,” the relative said. Thobile Kunene who is Phiwayinkhosi’s mother said she had been at Mbuluzi High School market when her children returned from school.

Had premonition

Kunene said she had premonition that something bad was going to befall her, and upon reaching home, she asked the other siblings about Phiwayinkhosi’s whereabouts. At first, she said everybody thought she was in the neighbourhood.
“When her father returned at about 7pm, he also asked the other children where Phiwayinkhosi was and they said she might have gone to her grandparents homestead. I started to get worried and when the other children returned without her, I lost it,” she said. She said since Wednesday, the whole community has been searching for the child, but by yesterday, they had not traced her whereabouts. “Police sniffer dogs have been used but still she has not been found. As we speak now, everyone is out there in the bushes looking for her,” she added. The area’s Umgijimi Roland Mbuli said they were still shocked at the incident which he said was the first of its kind in the community. “We have been hearing about such incidents in other places. Someone has just told us that another child has disappeared at Mbuluzi. This is frightening indeed, and we hope that the young girl will be found soon,” he said. He said they hope that she will re-appear. Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Khulani Mamba confirmed the incident.

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