Urgent search for six-year-old last seen with mother's elderly employer

A picture of six-year-old Eva Tembo has recently gone viral on social media, igniting public concern and calls for action.

Eva was last seen with Carlos Rebelo, her mother’s former employer, who is alleged to have attempted to adopt her without parental consent. Eva’s mother, Laura Nkhana, has been a live-in domestic worker for Rebelo for more than a decade.

Susana Kennedy, Rebelo's daughter, shared Eva's pictures on social media appealing for public help in locating Eva.

“She has lived with Carlos for her entire life. He treated her as a daughter,” she said.

Kennedy said the situation escalated when Nkhana planned to take Eva back to Malawi for a holiday.

“When her mother decided that she needed to go home to Malawi, she wanted to take Eva with her for a holiday. Carlos freaked out and didn’t let them leave.”

This led to a court order on June 28 granting Rebelo custody of Eva, which prevented Nkhana from taking her daughter away. However, on July 12 the children's court in Johannesburg intervened and suspended that interim order.

Kennedy believes Rebelo went on the run on July 12 with the minor.

“I’m feeling like it is essential to get Eva back to her family and into safety. I’m also feeling like Carlos is a 75-plus-year-old man who is mentally unstable. Beating him up, harming him physically, is not going to fix anything,” she said.

“Getting him into custody and helping him get treatment and out of society will help. Please hear me, please help me. The most important thing is bringing this little girl home safely and locking him away safely.”

In an interview with News24, Nkhana said when Eva was just two years old, Rebelo insisted that she and her mother move into the main house for safety reasons. After the move, Nkhana was assigned to a separate room, while Eva's bed was put in Rebelo's room.

Gauteng police head at the bureau for missing people, W/O M Bruwer, said the police were investigating a case of a missing minor.

“The child's [details have] been circulated by the Bureau for Missing Persons Gauteng with circulation number 2024/M/2766. We also forwarded the picture of the child to our national head office for broadcasting,” Bruwer said.

He clarified that while the bureau serves as an investigative support unit, it does not conduct investigations directly.

Rebelo is reportedly driving an older model gold Mercedes-Benz, with licence plate HBN940GP.

Authorities are urging anyone with information about Eva to contact Sgt Sithole at SAPS on 076-111-4575.

TimesLIVE