In joint effort, the African Media and Communicators Forum and the National Press Club have offered a reward of R50,000 for information that can lead to missing journalist Sibusiso Aserie Ndlovu and his partner Zodwa Precious Mdhluli being found.
Tuesday will mark 30 days after the couple vanished, and their home in Mpumalanga was ransacked. The couple was last seen leaving home in Mpumalanga in their white Volkswagen Citi Golf.
Earlier this month, IOL reported that there has been growing despondency among media practitioners across Gauteng, after the disappearance of the journalist and his partner.
Rafadi said he has volunteered to be part of the extensive search for the missing couple.
“I want to start by saying, as a forensic practitioner and as a University of Johannesburg’s research associate, what I have done is, on a pro bono basis, I have taken the effort to engage with the family closely on this matter. In essence I am trying to plough back the skills,” he said.
Rafadi, with vast experience has extensive contacts within the police and other law enforcement agencies which will be useful in the investigations to track the missing couple.
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Contrary to previous reports, Rafadi told the media briefing in Pretoria that the two lovebirds were seen at their home at KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga before they vanished.
“When a person goes missing mysteriously like this, we check if there have been any ransom demands. There is no ransom being demanded. Police have checked if the phone is still on with no luck, the phone is off.
“We have also checked if Sbu (Aserie) has made withdrawals from his bank account, there has been no activity. In fact, there is a salary he received into his bank account and it is still in the account. No one is holding him at ransom and trying to withdraw the money.”
Rafadi said the financial reward raised by the National Press Club and the African Media and Communicators Forum is important in the extensive search for the couple.
Veteran journalist, communications specialist and chairperson of the African Media and Communicators Forum, Elijah Mhlanga said there has been growing concern among the media fraternity across South Africa after the mysterious disappearance of Ndlovu and Mdhluli.
“We are worried. On our platform, we have both communicators and journalists. Since the time of the disappearance of Aserie, there are questions from colleagues asking what has really happened. We do not know but we are concerned.
“Aserie was running a community radio station, which is one of the stations that is used to run different campaigns. I can talk specifically about government campaigns which were put on the platform which he co-founded. We found that platform (Capital Live community radio station) to be a useful one,” said Mhlanga.
“We cannot allow a situation where one of us just disappears like that, without a trace. What we are appealing for is support. It can happen to anyone. Let us be on high alert, all of us. Whatever we hear, let us pass it on to the police.”
He added that staff at Capital Live radio station, with offices in Mamelodi, have been continuing to work under the stressful conditions.
For the National Press Club, acting chairperson and senior journalist Antoinette Slabbert said while it has not been established if the disappearance had anything to do with Ndlovu’s work, media practitioners in South Africa will continue to do their work without fear or favour.
“We do not know why Aserie and Zodwa have gone missing. The crime rate in our country is very high. There are many people who get kidnapped and that has nothing to do with journalism. But then we also know that journalists step on the toes of people who may be corrupt or doing things that they should not be doing,” she said.
“We have heard that Aserie had been working on a certain story and also that there had been efforts to extort him. Many business or shop owners get extorted. The fact of the matter is that we really dont know what the factors are in this case.
“But speaking for journalists in general, I do not think someone like Aserie would stop doing their job of looking for the truth because there is danger. Obviously we are concerned about journalists in our country and we do not want them to be close to danger unnecessarily, but as journalists we will look for the truth and will go where we have to go to find the truth.”
Also from the National Press Club, Mosidi Mokgele, appealed to community members with any information to contact Brigadier Mxolisi Edwin Numa, provincial head of the SAPS serious and violent crime investigations unit on 082 778 9035.