No trace of missing student

IT’S BEEN a harrowing six weeks for the Ntuli family from umlazi since the disappearance of their son, who was last seen at King Shaka International Airport.

Simphiwe Ntuli, 25, was dropped off by his brothers at the airport on March 20. He was scheduled to take a flight to Cape Town, where he was supposedly studying, but no one has seen or heard from him since.

His father, Lindelani Ntuli, said he has had sleepless nights, worried about his son’s whereabouts.

Simphiwe told his family that he had to return to UCT where he was registered for a dentistry degree. He said he had a practical exam and proceeded with travelling arrangements. On March 21, he contacted his family telling them he had landed at Cape Town International Airport safely and that he would be busy with his work.

A few weeks went by without communication and his family were under the impression that Simphiwe was attending to his university work. But when his father deposited money into his bank account on April 15 and there was still no word from him, worry began to set in.

Attempts to reach him proved futile as his phone was switched off and his social media pages revealed that he had last been active on March 21.

Ntuli told the Sunday Tribune that Simphiwe had been travelling between Cape Town and Durban for six years. During that period, his son booked his own flights and they trusted him.

As the father, his responsibility was to ensure the flights were paid for. He gave his son money without asking about the details.

“This is how we ended up not knowing which airline he used. We don’t have his ticket number, we have no information,” he said.

When his brothers travelled to Cape Town last month they discovered that Simphiwe was not registered at UCT for the 2022 academic year. They even went to a place he called his residence but couldn’t find him there. They also visited government mortuaries and hospitals but he wasn’t to be found.

“From what I know, he was doing his second degree since he had completed medical bioscience and graduated in June 2020. Thereafter he registered for the dentistry course and we knew that he was studying all these years,” he said.

Ntuli described his son as an introvert. He said he only met two of his friends and they were the only people he spent time with.

“If you had to be in my shoes, imagine how this experience would be for you?

“We are not comfortable. It’s not easy, but we are trying to adapt. We can’t afford to lose hope,” said Ntuli.

He said since the case had been reported to the police, no new information had come to light. The family has contemplated hiring a private investigator, but that was not within their budget.

“We are not sure how they work and the cost implications.

“I retired in December and I cannot use my whole pension paying for a private investigator,” Ntuli said.

King Shaka Airport spokesperson Lulama Mchunu said the airport’s security cluster was responsible for reported crimes within their business. Once cases were with police, they could assist as required.

She said the police were currently investigating the matter.

Provincial police spokesperson Constable Thenjisiwe Ngcobo confirmed that a missing persons case had been opened at the Bhekithemba police station in umlazi.