The family of 32-year-old Lusani Ramaru of Hasundani village outside Vuwani has made an emotional appeal to the public to help locate him after he disappeared nearly two weeks ago.
Lusani, a person with Down syndrome, was last seen on Sunday, 5 July, at about 17:00 in Muledane Block J, where the family had gathered before attending a celebration at a restaurant at Thavhani Mall.
His mother, Ms Thifhelimbilu Angelina Ramaru, said the family has been living through a nightmare since his disappearance.
“On that day I left Lusani and my elderly mother at home at around 14:00 while we attended a family celebration. When we returned, we discovered that he had left and nobody knew where he had gone,” she said, adding that the matter was immediately reported to the Thohoyandou police and that an extensive search involving relatives and community members had been launched.
“We searched the streets and nearby villages. Many people would tell us they had seen him in a certain area, but every time we went there, we could not find him. It is as though he disappeared without leaving any trace,” she said.
According to Ramaru, her son's disappearance has left the family heartbroken and emotionally exhausted.
“This was not the first time we had left him at home. I would always prepare food for him and return to find him there. We cannot understand what happened this time. We cannot eat or sleep because we do not know where our loved one is, whether he is safe or even if he has had anything to eat.”
She added that instead of enjoying the school holidays, family members, many of whom are educators, spend every day searching for Lusani.
“We should be resting during the holidays, but every morning we wake up hoping that today will be the day we find him. We are pleading with anyone who may have seen him to help us bring him home.”
Lusani was last seen wearing a black tracksuit and a black polo-neck sweater. He is unable to speak and communicates through sounds that some people may not understand. His family also said that he sometimes removes his clothes, and members of the public are urged to approach him with kindness and contact the family immediately if they see him.
The family is offering a reward of R2,000 for information leading to his safe return.
Anyone with information can contact Dr Ndivho Munarini on 072 047 0553 or Mukhethwa Ramaru on 079 540 8692. The family has also appealed to the public to share Lusani's story widely in the hope that someone will help reunite him with his loved ones.