Dark clouds are still hanging over the security system of Tshilidzini hospital, following the disappearance of an ageing woman at the psychiatric ward last November.

Mirror established that the pensioner, Mrs Elisa Thonga (65) from Maungani Village, a mentally disabled woman, disappeared without a trace last November, following suspected negligence on the part of the nursing staff.

A spokesperson for the missing woman’s family, Mr Edwin Netshikulwe, is strongly accusing the hospital staff of negligence. He alleges that nurses were informed that Thonga was seen walking out of the hospital, but they never bothered to take her back to her ward.

"We heard that nurses requested security guards to escort her back to her ward, but they denied doing so. As a family, we are now worried and concerned as our search is not bearing any fruits. At first, the hospital management claimed that they had opened a missing person’s docket at the Thohoyandou SAPS, but we later discovered that no case had been opened," he said.

Netshikulwe said that after the family opened the case, they embarked on a rigorous search together with the police dog unit, but to no avail. "We are worried because the hospital management and the department have not yet established a committee to investigate the disappearance of our beloved family member," he said.

The provincial spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Development, Phuthi Seloba, said that his health officials are working hand in glove with the police in searching for the missing pensioner. "We appeal to our community members to contact our hospital management or the police if they have information about the whereabouts of the missing pensioner.

Four months ago, a mentally disabled patient was found hanging dead in the passage of the hospital.