'We believe she is still alive’: Family prays for answers nearly two years after Amahle Thabethe was last seen

As families gather around Christmas trees and share presents, one thing will be missing for a family in Tsakane, Ekurhuleni — little Amahle Thabethe.

It has been more than two years since the girl disappeared from her family home.

Amahle, who was eight years old at the time, was playing in the street with other children when they were allegedly approached by a man asking for directions. The other children ignored the man, but Amahle was willing to show him the way, police said at the time.

She was last seen on April 4, 2019, walking away with the man. Amahle would have turned 11 on November 25.

Her aunt, Thandazo Nkosi, said the family had never stopped searching for Amahle.

“We believe that Amahle is still alive and we hope and pray that one day she will be at home with us. Since she has been gone, our Christmas has not been the same because we miss her a lot,” Nkosi said.

She said Amahle’s mother, Nokulunga Nkosi, was taking it the hardest.

“Her mom is taking it very hard and the stress is killing her. The other day Amahle’s cousin, who is the same age as her, came home with her report from school and then she [Amahle’s mother] got emotional because she knows that Amahle would have also come home with her report.

“Amahle was a good pupil in school,” she said.

Nkosi described Amahle as a quiet child who loved cartoons and dancing.

“She used to sit on the couch with the TV remote and skip through the cartoon channels. She really loved cartoons. She was also a dancer.

“We still love her and we are praying for her and hope that she comes home safely.”

Brian Sithole from the One Strong Voice Foundation has been involved in the search for Amahle.

“We feel that it is appropriate for her name not to be forgotten and her case not to go cold until she is found,” Sithole said.

Sithole and a group of community members organised two prayer sessions on Amahle's birthday this year to pray for her safe return.

“It was relevant from us to seek wisdom from the Lord, because we have done non-stop searches and none of them have yielded results.

“We wish to see this case of Amahle not grow cold and to be treated as a priority.”

Police spokesperson Capt Kay Makhubele confirmed that Amahle had not been found yet and that a case of kidnapping was being investigated.

TimesLIVE