Johannesburg - Colleagues of Nomawethu Kunene, the West Rand whistle-blower who has been missing for more than a month, are fearing the worst.
Kunene, in her role as deputy director of an NGO, A Re Ageng Social Services, lifted the lid on alleged corruption involving officials at Gauteng’s Department of Social Development.
She was last seen on February 26. Her colleagues at the Bekkersdal-based NGO became alarmed when she failed to turn up for a task they had arranged to carry out.
Her colleagues later found her car parked outside her home, but there was no sign of her. The 41-year-old has not been seen since.
A missing person’s case was opened at the Randfontein police station.
A Re Ageng runs shelters for abused women and children.
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Kunene blew the whistle when the NGO received an unsolicited R10million in its account from the department.
Half of this money mysteriously went missing from the account.
A Re Ageng maintained that its Absa account was hacked.
Police have confirmed that Kunene is still missing.
“We are investigating a missing person’s case. And we are still calling for anyone who might know anything to come forward,” police spokesperson Kay Makhubele said on Tuesday.
Gauteng’s Department of Social Development has maintained that it has had nothing to do with her disappearance.
A distressed Mpule Thejane-Lenyehelo, the director of A Re Ageng, told The Star on Tuesday that she believes her colleague was kidnapped.
“Whoever was involved in this (corruption) case knows exactly where Nomawethu went,” she said.
“Nomawethu wouldn't just go out on her own, leaving her children without saying a word.
“She brought them up alone. She was a single parent and she loves her children.”
Kunene’s daughters, aged 18 and 19, are at a tertiary institution in Pretoria.
“She would never just leave her children at a tertiary institution without contacting them,” Thejane-Lenyehelo said.
“(I'm convinced) she has been kidnapped. Who is going to take care of her children? She is the sole breadwinner.”
Thejane-Lenyehelo said she now feared Kunene has been killed. “My fear now is that anything is possible.
“I thought by now Noma, if she’s still alive, would be back.
“But we hope that whatever happened to her let Noma come back dead or alive, so that we can get closure.
“This is haunting us. We can’t go on like this,” Thejane-Lenyehelo said.
She added that Kunene was a “responsible, dedicated and diligent worker".
“She would never just abandon everything like that, never”
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