The South African Police Service (SAPS) has reunited 17 968 missing persons with their families and loved ones since 2020. This number includes adults and children that were reported as missing at police stations across the country in the last five years.
Of those, 15 005 are adults and 2 963 are children (under the age of 18), with 1 919 being girls and 967 being boys. They were found through intelligence and detective work.
“SAPS divers recovered an additional 3 099 bodies from water sources such as rivers and dams,” stated national police spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe. “These were people that had drowned. The teams also assisted in rescue efforts of 2 577 persons from water sources.”
The spokesperson added that the police remain committed to its mandate of serving and protecting all people living in South Africa and reminds everyone that there is no waiting period to report a loved one missing.
Multidisciplinary teams are appointed to missing person investigations. These teams include seasoned detectives, crime and counterintelligence officers, the DPCI (HAWKS), K9 search and rescue, cybercrime units and, where necessary, the police diving unit.
“The SAPS advise anyone who may suspect that a loved has gone missing to immediately report their friends or family members missing at their nearest police station,” she stated. “The reporting must be accompanied by the latest photograph of the missing child or adult, together with information on what they were wearing or where they were last seen.”
Compiled by Warren Hawkins
warren@mahareng.co.za
 reunites 17,968 missing persons with families since 2020, including 2,963 children.){kind=link}