Cape Town - The only Christmas present that would bring smiles to the faces of three adult siblings is to see their mother, who went missing almost 10 years ago, come home.
The last time they saw Denise Coetzee, 50, was on September 22, 2010, when her husband dropped her at their home in Oklahoma Street, Macassar. She was supposed to go to church afterwards but vanished.
Her daughter, Gericke Mouton, 34, said no one will ever understand the pain she, her sister and brother endure daily while waiting for that phone call or knock on the door to say she is coming home.
“I was pregnant at the time my mother went missing. She told me before she disappeared that she wants to hold her grandchild. My daughter is now nearly 10 years old and every time she looks at the pictures she asks when her grandmother is coming home.
“On the day my mother went missing I wanted to tell her something very special. I waited the entire night for her. Our Christmas has not been the same since our mother disappeared,” Mouton said.
An intensive search by the police failed to deliver any positive results and Mouton acquired the help of family friend Riaan van Rensburg, who has tried to keep the search alive the past years.
Van Rensburg said: “A complaint was lodged with the Western Cape police commissioner’s office in 2011 to intervene, which led to a detective visiting only once. In 2017 Gericke lodged a complaint with the Western Cape Police Ombudsman (WCPO).”
In January this year the ombudsman informed Mouton that on February 22, 2017, they contacted SAPS and a police officer indicated the docket was discussed with the investigating officer who said a thorough investigation was done and all leads were followed up.
“A Captain Leonard indicated that you pointed out a place where you suspected your mother was buried. The place was dug out and nothing was found. On October 13, 2017, SAPS was visited and a docket was provided.
“Our office perused the docket and no wrongdoing was detected on the part of SAPS. This file is closed on the basis that the complaint has no grounds,” Zwelenkosi Matwa from the WCPO said.
Police on Monday said the matter, like all other missing persons, will be followed up once new information on the whereabouts of a missing person comes to the fore.