The family of a 35-year-old missing woman fear for the worst as she has been missing for more than five months.
Ntombi Masilela, 35, of KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga, was last seen by her sister on September 10 on her way to work.
According to her sister, Sophy Mahlangu, 46, of KwaMhlanga, Masilela left KwaMhlanga for Midrand, Johannesburg, where she works as a domestic worker.
“She told me she was going to visit her boyfriend who stays in Midrand,” said Mahlangu.
She said her sister was supposed to come back home on September 18 to sort out some UIF-related issues. But when she did not come back, Mahlangu began to panic.
“I called her several times but her phone was off,” she said.
“I thought maybe she switched it off, and believed she would get back to me later.”
Mahlangu, who is also a domestic worker in Pretoria, said three weeks later she still hadn’t heard anything from Masilela and realised that something was terribly wrong.
“I felt something was wrong. I was in shock,” said Mahlangu.
She then contacted her sister's boss, who managed to find the manager of Masilela's boyfriend.
"The boyfriend's boss helped us to contact my sister's boyfriend, and when we called him he said Ntombi went to work and left her phone behind at his place," said Mahlangu.
On October 30 Mahlangu went to the Midrand police station i to report her sister missing.
The police accompanied her to the boyfriend's place, who allowed the police to search his place, and they found her handbag, her purse with R520, ID book, bank cards, Sassa card and a cellphone.
When Sowetan spoke to the boyfriend, Velani Ngcobo, 37, of Midrand, he said he did not know where Masilela was and that he last saw her on October 26 when he dropped her off to work.
He said she often visited him in Midrand and sometimes stayed with him.
Ngcobo, who works as a driver for a catering company based in Midrand, said when she went to work that last day she left her belongings at his place.
“She wore a white skirt with red flowers, a vest, white T-shirt and brown shoes when I dropped her off at the bus station to go to work,” said Ngcobo.
Mahlangu is appealing to anyone with information to help her family find her sister.
Capt Mavela Masondo confirmed a case had been opened with the Midrand police.
“An investigation is still under way and police are still searching for a missing person. We are still appealing to the community that if there is anyone who has information that can help to please call the nearest police station or crime stop on 08600-10111,” said Masondo.
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