Police and law enforcement agencies in Cape Town have joined forces to search for a man who went missing on Monday, April 29.
Members of the public are urged to be on the lookout for missing Alistair Stanbull, who has been described as an avid hiker.
The provincial police spokesperson, Sergeant Wesley Twigg, confirmed a missing persons report has been opened for investigation.
He said Stanbull’s wife last saw him when he mentioned he would be going for a hike, and he was last seen leaving their home.
However, he never returned, but his vehicle, a Renault Kwid, was recovered.
“On Monday Alistair told his wife that he is going for a hike and left his premises in Steenberg and never returned. His vehicle was found on Ou Kaapse Weg on Tuesday morning, April 30. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a grey long-sleeve t-shirt and khaki hiking pants,” Twigg said.
On Friday, May 2, mayoral committee member for safety and security, Alderman JP Smith said a coordinated search for Stanbull was launched along the Silvermine hiking trails.
“Known as an avid hiker, his vehicle, a Renault Kwid, was found in the parking area of the Silvermine reserve. Today the Provincial Search and Rescue launched an extensive search of the area and requested the City's assistance.
“The City deployed hundreds of staff, comprising of search teams, accompanied by members of SANParks, TMNP, WSAR, while we also allocated investigators from our SSIU and SSIMS. In the instance of any discovery, we knew it was essential to protect any potential crime scene and to prevent any form of evidence from becoming contaminated,” Smith said.
He said divers from the City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Services worked alongside the SAPS Dive Unit and the SAPS K9 Unit.
“Our drone teams worked along with our provincial EMS drone teams, where all efforts were properly coordinated and documented on-site, from our Disaster Risk Management (DRM) mobile Joint Operations Centre (JOC).
“By 2pm, teams had covered all hiking trails, the dam area, and all surrounding terrain. So far, no sign has been found and the search continues,” Smith said.
He said the area was thoroughly searched using the grid methodology and everything was recorded in detail.
“While we are still searching for the missing person, today was a good example of what can be achieved if we respect the lawful process and if all agencies work together,” Smith said.
Anyone with any information that can help with the investigation or knows the whereabouts of Alistair Stanbull is kindly requested to contact the investigating officer Detective Sergeant Sharel Voorman at 082 393 2558 or Crime Stop at 08600 10111.
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