Missing Liswati student traced to SA, search continues

The search for Liswati student Temaswati Lenhle Vilakati has taken a new turn after her family learnt that she travelled out of Zambia into South Africa, but her whereabouts remain unknown.

Vilakati, who is studying at the Zambia Institute for Medical and Psychological Studies, was last heard from by her family on July 6, the day she was expected to return home after completing her examinations.

Her aunt, Nontsetselelo Mndzebele, said the family recently managed to establish that Vilakati had left Zambia after providing details of her passport number obtained from her study permit. She said the information enabled the institution to trace Vilakati’s movements and confirm that she had travelled out of Zambia into South Africa.

However, the family has not been able to establish where she is currently or whether she made it to her intended destination.

Mndzebele said the latest development prompted her to report the matter to the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) on Thursday as the family intensified efforts to trace the missing student.

However, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer (PICO) Superintendent Pindile Zwane said the missing person report concerning Vilakati had not been officially documented.

Zwane said this did not necessarily mean that the family had not visited a police station to report the matter, adding that she did not want to deny that they had approached the police.

She advised Vilakati’s guardian to return to the police station so that officers could assist her further, saying the matter required a high level of collaboration and intelligence-sharing with other police officers.

The family had previously been unable to establish Vilakati’s whereabouts after she stopped communicating with her loved ones, with her phones reportedly switched off.

Mndzebele had earlier said the family contacted some of Vilakati’s fellow students in Zambia, who went to check on the place where she lived. According to the aunt, the students found that Vilakati had packed her belongings and had reportedly told them that she was going home.

The discovery that she had travelled out of Zambia has now provided the family with a clearer picture of her movements, but the circumstances surrounding her whereabouts remain unclear.

Mndzebele said the family had also previously been informed by Vilakati’s friends that she had been communicating with her boyfriend, who is reportedly based in South Africa.

She stressed that the family had no evidence linking anyone to Vilakati’s disappearance and was not accusing anyone of wrongdoing.

The aunt said the family remained deeply concerned about Vilakati’s safety and was appealing to anyone who may have information about her whereabouts to come forward.

She urged anyone who may have seen Vilakati, interacted with her or had information regarding her movements after she left Zambia to contact her on 7617 5376.

The family is now hoping that tracing her movements from Zambia into South Africa will help provide a breakthrough in the search and ultimately establish where the student is. As the matter continues to unfold, Mndzebele said the family’s priority remained finding Vilakati and ensuring her safe return home.