Johannesburg - “It has been four months now since I last saw my child. I don’t sleep at night because I think about how cold it is out there.”
This is according to Deborah Maluleke, mother of 14-year-old Hope, who has been missing since February 13.
Hope ran away from his Mabopane Block A home after being accused of stealing.
“I have been to all the community radio stations and plastered placards everywhere in Mabopane because I am stressed,” his mother said.
Maluleke said the boy’s uncle had been looking for him after money had gone missing. “He had a gun with him,” she said, adding that that could have frightened the boy.
The police confirmed the investigation.
“The investigating officer has met the family and regular feedback is given to the family,” said police spokesperson Captain Mavela Masondo.
According to the National Runaway Safeline, 47% of runaway/homeless youngsters had indicated that conflict between them and a parent/guardian was a major problem.