As the frantic search for Joslin Smith (6) intensifies, the SAPS has urged the public to use social media responsibly and desist from spreading false information and recording searches.
Smith has been missing since February 19 from Saldanha, and a coordinated search for the six-year-old has been ongoing within an identified area in Diazville that was subdivided into zones being the focus of the search.
On Saturday, Minister of Police Bheki Cele visited Joslin’s family and addressed the people of the neighbourhood.
Cele and the management of the SAPS assured the family of the ongoing policing efforts to fast-track Joslin’s safe return.
Cele asked for calm during the community meeting in the face of finger-pointing and the dissemination of misleading information on the SAPS’s investigation into her disappearance.
“You are a community that has united through this trying time; don't allow those who are trying to get political mileage out of the disappearance of a little girl to divide you. Unite and work with the police to bring her back home. From the police side, I want to assure you that no resource will be spared to find her; the police have not withdrawn from this search, and they are under a directive to work closer with anyone who comes up with any valuable information that can assist,’’ said Cele.
The Police Ministry assured the community of Diazville that police remained committed to finding the six-year-old and reuniting her with her family.
A unit from the local South African Navy has also joined the search, as has another sizeable group from the City of Cape Town, which was deployed to the area on Monday. The Saldanha Bay municipality's firefighters are also contributing to the search, using their experience.
Police have enlisted the assistance of a mounted team, and more specialised dogs from the K9 squad are expected to scour the specified location. Detectives from the SAPS provincial office in Cape Town have subsequently come to the West Coast town to assist local investigators.
The efforts of all the role players have been enhanced by drones from the SAPS and the City of Cape Town. Meanwhile, scores of neighbourhood watch members, community-based organisations, and local residents have also been working around the clock in the quest to find Joslin.
Algoa fm reported that blood-stained items found during a search over the weekend had been sent to the Plattekloof forensic laboratory for analysis as part of the investigation.
The Star
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za