A 16-year-old girl from Mmatswale in Musina went missing after she was sent to her father's place in Muraleni village in the Sinthumule area on 14 June for safety  reasons.

Gladys Phophi Negondeni was taken to her father's place by her mother, Nyambeni Razwimisani, on 14 June. According to Razwimisani, she felt she had to take young Gladys to stay with her father, Mr Andries Gumani in Muraleni village, after Gladys's boyfriend had allegedly started abusing her physically.

Gladys was welcomed in Muraleni and stayed with the people in the household, until she packed her bags one morning (19 June) and left while her father was away. “I phoned her mother (Razwimisani) to tell her that Gladys had disappeared,” said a distraught Mr Gumani when he spoke to Limpopo Mirror on Monday. “I went to Musina, where we then approached the boyfriend's mother, who said he too hadn't returned home since 19 June. The police in Musina advised us to file a report of a missing person with the Tshilwavhusiku police, since she was last seen in that area, which we did.”

The spokesperson for the Tshilwavhusiku police, Constable Musiwalo Mahuwa, confirmed that a missing person file was opened on 21 June and that the police are searching for the missing girl.

Community members said the boyfriend was known for forcing girls to fall in love with him. If they refuse, he beats them and forces them to quit school by abducting them during school hours. It's not clear whether Gladys has run away with the man, but he remains the family's prime suspect.

“We're even afraid to say his name now, because he might start terrorising us anytime soon,” said a sad Razwimisani. “We don't know where and how this will end. All we need is for our child to come back.”

Anyone with information about Gladys's whereabouts can contact the SAPS at Tshilwavhusiku on 015 519 6020 or 082 451 71 63.