Missing child found
A mother’s nightmare ended when a 7-year-old boy who went missing during a hunting expedition last weekend was found unharmed.
Around 8pm last Saturday night 16 September, a ward councillor told the Peddie police that a child who had gone out hunting with friends earlier that day was missing.
Members of the South African Police Service along with community members immediately got together and started searching for the 7-year-old boy. Women from the community braved the rainy weather and sat on the mountain praying and anxiously waiting for news of the missing child.
Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said because the area is very dense and the terrain precipitous and craggy, K9 Search and Rescue Dog handlers from Cradock and East London were mobilised and arrived at Mgwalana Administrative Area, Nyeleni location, in Peddie.
“At 4am on Sunday morning, the specialist handlers arrived with their four-legged partners and began their search,” Govender said.
One of the teams was assisted by a friend of the missing child who had been part of the hunting expedition. The friends had lost each other in the dense forest. With the help of the young guide, the team was guided to where the children lost each other.
“Initially the screams for help were faint and as they moved closer to the river they grew louder.”
The child was located by the team and a member of the community got into the chilly river and swam across to the cliff under mountains where he was. SAPS handlers who were close by got into the river and assisted in bringing the two on to dry land. The boy was safely reunited with his family.
“The Community were remarkable and played a vital role right from the onset,” Govender said. “Before reporting to the SAPS, they tried looking for the child themselves and by 8pm when they could not find the child they alerted us,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Memani, Acting Station Commander of Peddie.
“It would have been very difficult if we did not get their assistance, especially the friend of the missing boy who helped tremendously. He showed us the place where they lost each other.
“We have once again urged the community to be alert and know the whereabouts of their children to prevent a similar incident.”
” I can imagine the joy that is with the community,” said Provincial Commissioner of the Eastern Cape, Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga.
Crime awareness in Vukani
This week, the community of Vukani in Grahamstown gathered in their numbers in an open field and were addressed by the SAPS management about crimes that affect vulnerable groups.
Women and the elderly attended the outreach program which focused on rape, robberies, murder and housebreakings. Members of the community were urged to report criminal activities.
School tour
Around 50 learners from Nyaniso Lower and Higher primary schools were given a tour of the Peddie Police Station by the community police officer this week.
The children were cautioned on bullying, keeping themselves safe and informing their parents and guardians of their whereabouts.
They were encouraged to engage in sport and the consequences and the harmful effects of drugs was highlighted.
The children were particularly interested how to pursue a career as a police officer and pledged their support to report crime to get the “baddies” off the street.
Dagga in Riebeeck East
Members of the Riebeeck East SAPS arrested a 13-year-old boy for possession of dagga during a patrol on the Komadagga road on Tuesday 19 September. The dagga was wrapped into bompies.
Shortly after, the officers proceeded to a house where they seized 41 bompies of dagga and arrested a 59-year-old man for dealing in dagga.
The juvenile was released into his parents’ custody and they were warned to bring him to the Grahamstown magistrate’s court, where both suspects will be appearing on their respective charges.
Dagga bust on the N2
Members of the Grahamstown Highway Patrol on Tuesday confiscated 5.7kg dagga valued at R 12 825 during a vehicle checkpoint with provincial traffic officers on the N2 outside Grahamstown at 1.30pm on Tuesday.
Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said the dagga was wrapped in two plastic bags, placed in a bag, wrapped in a blanket and placed in the boot of an Avanza.
A 37-year-old man from Joubertina faces a charge of possession of dagga and would appear in the Magistrate’s Court in Grahamstown this week, Govender said.
