A first-of-its-kind Missing Persons Reaction Unit has officially launched in Mitchells Plain, uniting the South African Police Service (SAPS), the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Home Affairs, law enforcement agencies, and community volunteers in a coordinated effort to improve the response to missing person cases.
The pilot project, launched in partnership with community activist and Faith and Hope Missing Persons founder Veranique “Benji” Williams, is aimed at ensuring that the crucial first hours after someone disappears are met with an immediate, coordinated response involving every relevant stakeholder.
Image: Tracy-Lynn Ruiters
The reaction unit will include dedicated investigating officers, a dedicated search team, dedicated court officials and a structured support system designed to ensure investigations, searches and prosecutions move more efficiently while families receive regular updates.
Speaking at the launch, Mitchells Plain SAPS Sub-District Commissioner Brigadier Brian Muller said the initiative was born out of the understanding that every second counts when someone disappears.
“When a person goes missing in Mitchells Plain, the clock does not just tick…it races. For a mother looking at an empty bedroom, for a grandfather wondering where a teenager went, every single second that passes without answers is an agonising eternity,” Muller said.
Reflecting on the disappearance of Matthew Ohlsson, who went missing in 1997 and has never been found, Muller said he could only imagine the pain his family continues to endure.
“I actually don’t want to be a family member who’s losing a child or family member that you might never see again. This initiative gives us hope.
Image: Tracey Adams/African News Agency (ANA)
Muller said the reaction unit would bridge the gap between formal police investigations and immediate community action through three key pillars: immediate mobilisation to eliminate delays, strategic community coordination by making use of neighbourhood watches and local volunteers, and ongoing family support throughout investigations.
Muller warned that delaying a report could have devastating consequences.
Acting Mitchells Plain SAPS Station Commander and Visible Policing Commander Colonel Wendy Nciweni pledged the station’s full support for the initiative, stressing that it should not be interpreted as a sign that police had failed.
Image: Tracy-Lynn Ruiters
Senior State Prosecutor Darren Johnson, representing the NPA, said the launch brought back memories of growing up in Westridge during the fear that gripped Mitchells Plain while the Station Strangler terrorised the community.
He said the NPA had placed renewed focus on trafficking in persons investigations following the disappearance of Joshlin Smith and confirmed that prosecutors were currently dealing with a trafficking case before the courts.
“We’ve also dealt with cases where people were trafficked from the Western Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Bloemfontein, and we’ve seen that in Mitchells Plain this is rife. So this reaction group is really, really needed.”
Johnson said the NPA would continue supporting investigators through specialised trafficking prosecutors, training and legal guidance.
