Mother of missing city girl still hopes to find her 11 years on
WHILE it’s been eleven years today since the disappearance of Rehana Kwena Moshoeshoe, her mother, Mpho Moshoeshoe, continues to believe that her daughter is still alive.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Dimakatso Mooi said on Sunday that the missing person’s case had been closed.
“At the moment there is no new information and the status quo remains. However, any new information will be followed up as it emerges,” said Mooi.
The Kimberley Girls’ High pupil, who was 15 years old at the time of her disappearance, was last seen on February 21, 2010, after telling her mother that she was on her way to meet a friend in town. She never returned home.
Mpho pointed out today that her daughter went missing on a Sunday.
“Eleven years later, February 21 also falls on a Sunday, so it has come full circle. I know she is still alive and I still worry about her every day. Unless I see her body, I will continue to have faith that she is alive,” said Mpho.
She added that she commissioned the filming of a documentary earlier this year to remember and celebrate Rehana.
“She was the sweetest baby who never gave me any problems. She is a very sociable, outgoing person who loves life and is always willing to help others. She wanted to become a psychologist because she said that her peers would come to her for advice. We were very close and told each other everything. I cannot understand why she never told me about the man who took her because he was listed as ‘stalker’ on her phone,” said Mpho.
Frans Oliphant was found guilty of assault, kidnapping and rape in 2011 and was sentenced to 36 years’ imprisonment.
He claimed that he was forced to confess and was falsely accused.
He did not divulge any information during the trial despite impassioned pleas from her father to disclose “all the sordid details”.
Mpho said that she wanted to visit Oliphant in prison in an attempt to get more information regarding her whereabouts.
“I want to follow up information that Rehana may have been the victim of human trafficking, where she may be being kept at a brothel in Lichtenburg. I will not rest until I find her. I cannot sleep peacefully. Time has not healed any wounds and I am still struggling to deal with her disappearance.”
She added that she had registered a non-profit organisation to educate communities on kidnapping and human trafficking.
“I approached provincial government for assistance to start up a unit dedicated to missing persons but I was told that there is no money available. People in rural communities, who do not have access to social workers, need to be made aware of the dangers as children and young girls are targeted in isolated areas.”
