CAPE TOWN: A Cape Town family is no closer to finding closure six months after their father’s disappearance.
Japhta Julius, from Strandfontein, would have celebrated his 75th birthday on Monday.
He went missing on Sunday, April 25.
At the time of his disappearance, his daughter, Ceejay Mactavie, said her father was last seen leaving his Tunny Crescent home in Strandfontein at about 3.55pm.
“We have obtained CCTV footage from neighbours. From one neighbour ,we can see him leaving the house and walking down the road at 3.55pm.
“The second footage shows him walking in Walvis Way at 4pm. That is the last time he is ever seen,” Mactavie said.
She said her father was a homebody and did not have many friends, so his disappearance was out of character.
Speaking to IOL on Monday, Mactavie said it was difficult not knowing what has happened to her father.
“It’s difficult not having an outcome. Whether good or bad. Today is my father’s 75th birthday and today it is exactly six months since he disappeared.
“Today is harder than any other day. I am spending the day with my mother and we just had a toast to my dad, wherever he may be,” she said.
Mactavie said normal celebrations for her father’s birthday would have included herself and her husband and children coming over with a cake, lighting candles and having fellowship. However, this year it was too hard to do anything.
Julius, who is a die hard Liverpool fan, would have been beaming with pride.
“What also hurts is, especially with the Manchester United and Liverpool match, my dad and I would have been teasing each other because we were rivals.
“It has been really long and, as a family, we need answers surrounding his disappearance.
“It is a constant state of hopefulness. At times, our hope tends to dwindle as days, weeks and months go by. As a family, we need closure,” Mactavie told IOL.
At the time of his disappearance, volunteer crime fighters spent days searching for him.
Volunteers started from early morning until the next day between 4am and 5am.
Chairperson for the Strandfontein community policing forum Sandy Schuter said they had received a lot of supports.
“Areas we could not reach like the bush area, we had quad bike support and in other areas where vegetation was too difficult to get access to, we had drone support to give us a bird’s-eye view of the area,” she said.
If anyone has seen him, they are urged to contact his daughter Ceejay at 082 943 4212 or contact the head of detectives at Strandfontein police station at 021 370 1500/1.