Limpopo Mother Makes Desperate Plea for Answers About Missing Daughter (11)
- Almost three years ago, Fiona Matodzi, who was nine at the time, went missing in Itsani village, outside of Thohoyandou
- Since 8 August 2022, Fiona Matodzi’s mother has lived with the daily pain of not knowing what happened to her now 11-year-old daughter
- Family and community members told Briefly News at a protest on Monday, 21 April 2025, that police officials have not done enough to trace little Fiona
It was on 8 August 2022 that the then nine-year-old Fiona Matodzi went missing while on her way back from school. More than two years later, her family is still left with many unanswered questions about her whereabouts and whether she is still alive or not. The family is slowly losing hope of finding her.
Source: Original
The unanswered questions surrounding Fiona's disappearance
Fiona’s mother, Tshilidzi Mufunwaini, told Briefly News that she feels the police officials have not done enough to find her daughter. She said they do not even give the family updates on what is going on with the missing person case, which they have opened at the Thohoyandou Police Station.
On Monday, 21 April, more than 100 concerned community members from various villages in Vhembe, Limpopo, held a peaceful protest outside of Thohoyandou Police Station to seek answers on what police officials have done to find missing Fiona.
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Fiona, who was a pupil at Dzindi Primary School, which is in Itsani village, outside of Thohoyandou, situated a few metres away from her home, was last seen by some of her friends getting into an unknown black VW Polo. Her family and the community have not seen this car before.
“I still feel like I am dreaming, and this dream does not seem like it is going to end anytime soon.
“I miss my daughter so much, and I wish that whoever took her could just return her alive, as we have a lot to catch up on.
“I have already missed almost three years of my daughter’s life,” Mufunwaini said sorrowfully.
A mother's heartbreak and the search for answers
Mufunwaini told Briefly News they gave the police all the information requested from them. They even gave police a list of people they suspect might be behind the abduction, but still, the little girl remains missing.
“We have waited for too long for the police to act, but still they have failed to do so, and we do not know why they are not taking any action.
“I am pleading to whoever has my daughter to return her to me as soon as possible.
“It is so painful not knowing what has happened to your child, whether she is happy where she is or how she is currently living, all these questions are killing me silently,” said Mufunwaini.
Mufunwaini has lost hope in the police as they have continued to ignore her pleas for updates regarding her daughter’s missing persons case.
“In 2023, her schoolbag and other belongings were found not far from our home, which clearly shows us that the person who took her might be living within our communities, but the police did not do enough to trace who might have dumped my daughter’s belongings there.
“To be honest, I have lost faith in the police,” said Mufunwaini.
Source: Original
Community and family push for action from police
According to Missing Children South Africa, every day in South Africa, a child goes missing. Their statistics indicate that 77% of missing children are found, while 23% of the children are either found trafficked or found deceased.
Mufunwaini wishes and hopes that her daughter will be found alive and healthy.
“What I am going through at the moment is very painful. This is the worst pain any parent, especially mothers, can go through.
“Children are a gift from God, but someone cruel just decided to take that gift away from me, without any apparent reason given,”Mufunwain added.
Gift Munyai, a resident of Itsani village, who attended the protest march, said police officials are not doing enough to find missing children such as Fiona.
“Our police officials are too slow to act, and this makes it easier for criminals to carry on committing crimes.
“For example, Fiona was reported missing to the police less than an hour after she was seen getting into the VW Polo, but not much was done quickly to trace the said vehicle.
“Maybe if they had acted quickly, they could have found Fiona, but they didn’t,” Munyai said.
SAPS confirms a task team is on the case
Colonel Nditsheni Ramatsitsi of Thohoyandou Police Station said the police have never stopped working to find Fiona.
“The case is now with the provincial police task team, which focuses on missing persons, and I can assure the public that they are busy working on the case and trying to follow every lead,” Ramatsitsi told Briefly News.
Those who have any information regarding Fiona's disappearance are urged to contact her family on 060 679 8527.
3 other stories about missing children in South Africa:
- Six-year-old Joslin Smith from Saldanha Bay went missing from her mother's home in February 2024
- In February 2025, Briefly News reported that 2000 South African children have been reported missing since 2022, while 742 remain missing
- In February 2025, it was reported that child kidnapping cases have increased in South Africa
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Source: Briefly News
