Gone girl
Tracy-Lynn Ruiters|Published
A Parklands mother is living every parent's worst nightmare after her Grade 7 daughter, Chiedza Augustine, affectionately known as “Chi-Chi”, disappeared from their family apartment, leaving behind her clothes, shoes and a little brother who cries every day for his sister.
For Emily Chitsiga, 42, every passing day brings more questions than answers as she desperately searches the streets of Parklands, Dunoon and Milnerton, hoping to find her daughter.
Chiedza was last seen at the family's apartment in St James, Parklands Main Road, on Thursday, 8 October, between 6pm and 7pm.
According to her mother, the disappearance followed a disagreement over Chiedza's school attendance.
Chitsiga said she had confronted her daughter after receiving a call from a teacher informing her that Chiedza had not attended school, despite telling her mother otherwise.
“I asked her why she was not going to school on Wednesday, and she told me she did go. I told her she was lying because the teacher had called me,” she explained.
Family struggles without Chiedza
Chitsiga said she went to her bedroom following the conversation, but when she returned to check on her daughter, Chiedza was gone.
“I don't know if she ran away or what. She never walks out without telling me.”
The mother said her daughter, a Grade 7 learner at West Riding Primary, would occasionally spend weekends visiting friends but always returned home.
“She is not a child to stay out. Saturdays and Sundays she would go to her friends, but she always came home.”
Since her disappearance, Chitsiga has contacted every friend she knows and searched several neighbourhoods, desperate for information.
“After I drop my son at crèche, I look around. I walk up and down Parklands Main Road. I even went into Dunoon, Milnerton, everywhere. I can't handle this.”
Her desperation has been compounded by prank callers who claim to have spotted Chiedza at various locations.
“People are prank calling me, telling me they have seen her here and there. I follow every call, but sometimes there is not even a house.”
Mother makes emotional appeal
At home, the absence of Chiedza has devastated the family, particularly her younger brother, who cannot understand why his sister has not returned.
“Her baby brother is crying every day. He wants to know where his sister is. I really don't know what to tell him.”
Chitsiga said the uncertainty surrounding her daughter's whereabouts has left her struggling to sleep, constantly imagining what her child might be experiencing.
“Where is my child? She is still young. How can she just disappear? Where did she sleep? Where did she eat? Is she warm?”
She said reports of violence against girls in South Africa have only heightened her fears.
“With everything happening with girls in South Africa, I can't even... I am broken. I can't sleep. I sit up and hope she walks through the door.”
How to report information
The mother said Chiedza was last seen wearing a cream-white tracksuit and her mother's slippers.
Her belongings remain untouched at home. “Her clothes, shoes, everything is still there.”
Despite the anguish, Chitsiga remains hopeful that her daughter is alive and safe.
“If maybe someone has her, or I don't know, please just let me know she is safe.”
In an emotional appeal directly to Chiedza, the mother begged her daughter to return home, promising that whatever happened before her disappearance could be put behind them.
“Please come back home, please. I need you. I need you around.
“Please, I love you. If I upset you, I am sorry.”
As the search continues, Chitsiga is appealing to anyone who may have seen Chiedza or knows her whereabouts to come forward with credible information and contact her on 067 122 1308.
Cape Argus