Police in KwaZulu-Natal are disputing StatsSA figures for missing women, saying many of those reported missing leave home voluntarily, and many return home.
Umlazi, south of Durban, South Africa’s second-largest township, and the rolling hills of Plessislaer, a township on the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg, have seen more than enough bloodshed to warrant being South Africa’s hotspots for murder and gender-based violence in the past five years.
They also have the most unresolved cases of missing women between January 2019 and December 2024, according to a response by suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu to a query from DA deputy spokesperson on police, Lisa Schickerling, in parliament in May.
Plessislaer recorded 104 cases, while Umlazi had 79. The other hotspots of the top five were: Delft in the Western Cape (with 66 cases), and Inanda (65) and KwaDabeka (61) police stations in KZN.
StatsSA says Plessislaer serves a population of about 200,000 but, according to police working the run-down corridors, in reality it serves four to five times that many people.
The KZN midlands station, which has drawn criticism from residents for its slow response to rampant crime, incorporates Zinqamu, Mafakatini, Gezubuso, Taylors Halt, Mtoqothi, Pata, Mpumuza, Caluza, Snathing, Nqabeni, Dambuza and Ashdown, a combination of urban and rural households with low incomes.
During a police imbizo in 2024, KZN police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi acknowledged the challenges faced by law enforcement, highlighting that the vast jurisdiction makes it difficult for police to respond effectively.
Plessislaer community policing forum (CPF) chair, Sifiso Mavundla, says poverty-associated crimes involving drugs and prostitution could account for the station’s high numbers.
He believes there’s a syndicate using drugs to lure, mainly teenagers and young women, from their homes, and into prostitution. “ Although we have not yet cracked this alleged syndicate, indications [are] there is something amiss about cases involving young women,” he said.
Mavundla said four women reported missing last year were found drugged in a hijacked home. He said there was also an incident in which a young girl from Sweetwaters, who was reported missing, was later found dead. No one was arrested.
Local police also say the SAPS figures don’t correlate with their caseload, but agree teenagers are often reported missing and later found.
A police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “After visiting their boyfriends, usually become afraid to go back home in fear of their parents,” but added that the majority of them ultimately return home.
He said there were also a number of cases involving missing young women, who were later found in taverns.
The officer said police were working closely with CPF members to try solve cases in the area. “Fighting crime is not the sole responsibility of the police — communities must also participate,” the police officer said.
At Umlazi police station, which has a dedicated desk to deal with cases of missing women, the vastness of the community is overwhelming. Records at the station reflect 46 cases of missing women compared to the official statistic of 79. “Officially, Umlazi has a population of just over 400,000, according to StatsSA, but I believe that number is not accurate at all.
“You can see during elections when the people who vote in Umlazi far surpasses that number — there are close to a million, if not more. And that is just those who are eligible, and who decide to go to the voting stations. So, that is telling,” says another police officer.
“We are the main station in this area, one of the biggest townships in the country that only has two police stations. Meanwhile, Soweto has way more and even the Durban CBD has about six police stations for every five or 10km. Ours is one in a 45km radius. Most people have to take two taxis just to get here.”
Officers believe the numbers released by the minister’s office are exaggerated, and not a true reflection of the situation on the ground. “That can’t be... not even close. Of course, we look at all missing persons enquiries and we get them but they are not close to that. I don’t think we get close to that number in a year, let alone that being unresolved cases.”
In their experience, most of the cases relate to instances where the women move in with their boyfriends or leave home to find jobs elsewhere without the burden of sending money home.
Phili Cele was reported missing in December 2024. A family member confirmed to Sunday Times that she has since been spotted several times, and was likely living with her boyfriend. Family members refused to discuss the matter further.
Two other women, Boitumelo Dlamini and Sthabile Msomi, were also reported missing in 2024 but their families confirmed they came back by themselves after a few days and were unharmed.
This year the station has recorded about 20 missing women with 85% of them of them found unharmed. “The majority of such cases here end up being people who are either with their friends or boyfriends. In other cases it’s women who leave because of financial burdens, be it loan sharks or gambling,” said another officer.
“One of the latest cases was of an elderly woman who was reported missing after receiving her pension grant. She was found in South Beach, living with a boyfriend, and having lost the money through gambling.”
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