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Missing child graphic.
The search for the five-year-old who went missing after a vehicle crash on the N4 toll road outside Mbombela, Mpumalanga, last week, is underway.
Three people died and four others sustained injuries when the driver of a bakkie lost control and hit a guardrail.
It is suspected that a tyre burst led to the fatal crash.
Speaking on behalf of the distraught family, Asemahle Mnconywa says her mother is among those who died during the crash. She says the police are not doing enough to find her baby sister.
“We are just children who have been left behind. Now we have to bury our mother and sister. I’m the only one — my mother’s firstborn was born in 1998, and I was born in 2000. She left behind two younger children, one eight years old and the other twelve. I’m deeply hurt. I don’t understand why this is happening. I’m in so much pain.”
Meanwhile, Mpumalanga police Diving Unit Captain Johan Potgieter says they’ve been working hard to search for the missing child since last week.
“The Crocodile River is a very difficult and dangerous river to work on. Currently, the hippos have all got new calves, and the mating season has started. So, any time you go close to the water, they will attack without even being provoked. Also, this river, as you know, the Crocodile River, it’s got a lot of crocodiles. So we have to look out for that as well. The terrain here is very difficult because the river up to the banks is jungle. So every step you have to take, you have to fight through the bush. You have to cut open the grass. So it’s taking time and it’s taking a lot of effort to do the search. The family said that the police were not here. That’s not true. We’ve been here from day one since the incident happened. We’ve been here. We’ve been here every day.”
