Two men have been detained in connection with the disappearance of four-year-old Shaskia Michaels from Tafelsig.
|||Johannesburg - Two men have been detained in connection with the disappearance of four-year-old Shaskia Michaels from Tafelsig in the Western Cape, police said on Sunday.
“While the search for Shaskia Michaels continues, two males aged 41 and 21 are being detained for questioning on a charge of kidnapping relating to her disappearance,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Andre Traut.
He said the men were detained on Sunday.
Shaskia was last seen outside her house in Mitchells Plain on Thursday.
“The circumstances surrounding her disappearance are being investigated as a high priority, and until our investigation has reached a more advanced stage, we will not be speculating on facts and possibilities.”
Earlier, Traut said Mitchells Plain police want to question a man called Robert Sylvester who they believed could help with their investigation into the disappearance of Michaels.
“We are appealing to the community for information about his whereabouts. His last known address is in Freedom Park, Tafelsig.”
Anyone with information may contact Warrant officer Charles Julies or Mitchells Plain police on 021 370 1600 or Crime Stop on 08600 10 111.
Meanwhile, a reward of R50 000 was offered for an arrest in connection with the disappearance of Michaels, and Kauthar Bobbs, by Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille.
“As a parent, I can only imagine what Shaskia's family is going through. I will continue to do everything I can to assist. I hope that the reward money will lead to the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators,” said De Lille in a statement.
Michaels disappeared on Thursday morning in Mitchells Plain and was last seen at her grandmother's house.
Kauthar Bobbs disappeared also in Mitchells Plain last October.
De Lille pledged the reward after joining the morning's search efforts for Michaels, which included police, the Mitchells Plain community police forum, disaster management volunteers and the child's family.
She said the city would this week dispatch disaster management volunteers and contracted workers under the city's Extended Public Works Programme to the area to continue with the search. - Sapa