Fatima Arendse has broken her silence following her safe return on Monday night, taking to social media on Tuesday afternoon to push back against intense public scrutiny and media reporting.
In a statement posted to her Instagram account, the 38-year-old addressed the trauma of having her disappearance broadcast across social media platforms, and asking for space to process the ordeal.
“Social media is forcing me to tell people what happened,” Arendse wrote. “And the truth is this is my life, not just a fun story. I could tell the world what happened, and if you knew the actual story, you would understand why that’s something I cannot share right now.”
Arendse also criticised unverified media reports published without consulting her family.
“I’m going through a lot right now, and some people might rejoice and make fun of it, but I have to think of my loved ones and myself right now,” she said.
Her statement follows confirmation from a source in direct contact with Arendse that the disappearance was a legitimate crime, firmly dismissing social media rumours claiming the incident was a hoax. The source said Arendse was taken against her will, emphasising that the severe trauma and duress of the ordeal underscore the family’s strict plea for privacy.
Meanwhile, new eyewitness details have emerged from a manager at the Engen service station in Surrey Estate from where Arendse was abducted.
The manager said the suspect’s white Nissan Almera displayed clear signs of tampering.
“Apparently, there is a rear number plate, but it looks like somebody’s tampered with it — like it was secured with clear silicone,” the manager noted, corroborating earlier reports that the vehicle lacked proper licence registration.
The manager also described tense interactions inside the convenience store prior to the vehicle speeding off. According to the account, the driver entered the shop and engaged in a heated exchange with one of the group Arendse was travelling with.
“The driver came in here, and he spoke to one of the other two men who were with Arendse,” the manager said. “He raised his voice, and I just politely told him because there’s a shop, may he please stop shouting.”
Shortly after, the driver returned to the vehicle, and the car accelerated away from the forecourt
At the Manenberg Police Station, an official confirmed that a missing person’s case had been opened on Monday evening.
However, details regarding Arendse’s recovery remain scarce in the station’s official logbook.
“The members who worked during last night until this morning writing the book didn’t find the circumstances under which the person was found,” the attending officer said.
“They just wrote that the person was found.”
To legally compel the Engen station to release the footage of the left lane, police advised that a detective must formally intervene.
Based on descriptions from the Engen witnesses present, the suspect is a very tall Coloured man, estimated to be between 39 and 41 years old.
He was wearing a cap, had a beard with no moustache, and had visible pimples on the back of his head.
Expanded Timeline of Events
- Monday 4am: Following a night out near The Shack, Fatima Arendse and two childhood friends discover their mobile phones are dead. They accept a lift from an unknown man in a white Nissan Almera, who offers to drive them to Woodstock.
- Monday shortly after 4am: The driver takes an unexpected detour, stopping at an Engen service station at the corner of Ruimte Weg and Sirius Road in Surrey Estate.
- Monday moments later: While Arendse’s two friends enter the store to purchase items, the driver unexpectedly accelerates out of the garage with Arendse still inside the car.
- Monday 8am: Close friend Jade Pretorius learns of the abduction and immediately launches a widespread digital and on-the-ground search campaign, generating significant online awareness.
- Monday evening: Pretorius arrives at the Manenberg Police Station to formally report the incident.
- Monday 10:58pm: Arendse safely returns home. Night-shift police officers record her safe return in the station logbook, but fail to document the specific circumstances of her recovery.
