Cops have taken two men in for questioning, one of who is believed to be a neighbour of missing Shaskia Michaels.
|||Cape Town - Police have taken two men in for questioning, one of whom is believed to be a neighbour of four-year-old Shaskia Michaels, who has been missing for five days.
Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Andre Traut said: “I can confirm that the man who we believe can assist us with the investigation into her disappearance, is being questioned by Mitchells Plain police.”
The man, who lives a few houses away from Shaskia’s home in Bayern Munich Street, Freedom Park, Tafelsig, had been missing since Shaskia’s disappearance on Thursday, and neighbours said it was unusual for him not to be around.
Later Traut said two men, aged 21 and 41, were being held for questioning in connection with a charge of kidnapping.
Meanwhile, Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille has offered a reward of R50 000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in connection with the disappearance of Shaskia and five-year-old Kauthar Bobbs, Shaskia’s next-door neighbour who has been missing since October.
De Lille pledged the reward on Sunday after joining the morning’s search for Shaskia.
The search team included the police, the Mitchells Plain community police forum, disaster management volunteers and the Special Investigating Unit.
“As a parent, I can only imagine what Shaskia’s family is going through,” she said.
“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.”
Mitchells Plain Community Police Forum chairman Abie Isaacs said the group had been carrying out extensive searches for the missing girl.
“The team is physically and mentally drained. We start our searches at 6am and end around 2am the following day. Shaskia’s been missing for more than 72 hours and information is pivotal at this stage.”
Scores of searchers gathered at 8am on Sunday to search a bushy area in the Wolfgat nature reserve near Swartklip. Later they debriefed and went back to Freedom Park to search the residential area.
Every home in Bayern Munich Road was entered and searched.
The search squad climbed on roof tops, searched bins and all possible hiding spots they could see. No leads were found.
Disaster Risk Management spokesman Wilfred Solomons said: “We are taking this seriously and getting extra manpower so that the city will be visible at all times. Our first hope is to find the child alive or in the least bring closure to the family.”
Shaskia’s mother, Anthea Michaels, 26, said that her child had always been safe at the home of her mother, Roselyn Faroa, where the little girl was raised.
“I believe she is still alive and just want her to be brought back safely. I know she’s not with a stranger, because she never goes anywhere without someone she knows,” she said.
The four-year-old’s grandfather, William Faroa, who looked after Shaskia during the day, said he missed his granddaughter.
“She’s my baby, I raised her and she was very close to me.”
Shaskia was last seen playing outside her yard on Thursday morning with friends while her grandfather was inside the house. She was wearing a pink polo-necked T-shirt and black pump slippers.
Anyone with information should contact Warrant Officer Charles Julies or Mitchells Plain police at 021 370 1600 or Crime Stop at 08600 10 111.
zodidi.dano@inl.co.za
Cape Argus