More than ten years after 4-year-old Shaskia Michaels and her 5-year-oldneighbour, Kauthar Bobbs mysteriously vanished a year apart, police are appealing for these cold cases to be solved.
One case is still treated as a kidnapping, while activists call on a special task team to tackle it.
As the case of Joshlin Smith continues in Saldanha Bay, activists have called for the little girls not to be forgotten.
Little Kauthar disappeared while playing at a park in Cedarberg Road in Tafelsig, Mitchell's Plain, in October 2012.
A year later, her next door neighbour, Shaskia, also disappeared while playing outside of her home in Bayern Munich Street.
Michael Jacobs of the Mitchell’s Plain United Residents Association (MURA) and Lentegeur Community Policing Forum (CPF), who had been part of the search for the two children, said it was time that authorities changed their strategy.
“I am of the view that a dedicated task team needs to be set-up by provincial police and the National Prosecuting Authority to probe cases such as these including that of Joshlin Smith.”
The two girls lived in a community overrun by drugs and gangsterism.
Kauthar’s own mother, Lamees Bobbs, her brother, Yaseen Bobbs, who was murdered in 2014 and was a Rude Boy gang member, were hotly questioned by police about her disappearance.
Kauthar's grandmother, Nazley, was previously arrested for drug related charges and speculation was that the child had been human trafficked, but this was never proven.
This week, police spokesperson, FC van Wyk, said they were appealing for any information which could “crack” the cold case.
“This office can confirm that both missing persons had not been found yet,” he said.
“The matter regarding Shaskia Michaels is currently being investigated by the Cold Case Unit as a kidnapping. The investigation is ongoing.
“No further leads or information available that may assist in tracing Kauthar Bobbs. This case is currently investigated by Mitchells Plain FCS Unit.
“The search/investigation is therefore still ongoing and we do appeal to anyone with information to please contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or to share information through our mobile application, MySAP.”
Bianca van Aswegen of Missing Children SA, said sadly the girls' cases were among several that turned cold, but there was still hope.
“Kauthar Bobbs and Shaskia Michaels are just two of many children that are currently still missing in South Africa.
"To date there has been no new information regarding both these children, and we urge the public that anyone with information please contact Missing Children South Africa or your nearest Police station,” she said.
“There are many cases such as Kauthar and Saskia that have become cold cases, and these children should never be forgotten.
"There have been amazing stories of children that have been found after being missing for many years, so there is always hope in a missing persons case.
“Cold cases should also take priority just as any current missing child case. As we are currently seeing with the Joshlin Smit case the media is keeping her case alive, and so should all the other cases also be kept alive in the media no matter how old the case is.
“Social media has a great presence in our daily lives and by sharing these cases daily on social media we are keeping these cases alive."
Cape Argus