These are the two questions that screamed to be answered at a meeting between the distraught family of the missing child, the Bongani and Concordia residents helping to search for her, the Knysna executive mayor Georlene Wolmarans and the SAPS in the Knysna Municipal Chambers on Friday morning, September 5.
However, none of the community members demanded answers to these allegations. The meeting was called after some community members barricaded the road leading into Concordia in protest against, what they perceived as, the police's lack of effort in finding the missing child. The meeting scheduled to commence at 10:30, started late because the SAPS head of the George Cluster, Major-General Thembisile Patekile, insisted on driving through to attend the meeting in a gesture that served to reassure the community that the police were taking the case seriously.
Prior to the meeting, a Bongani community member Johnson Tshawe insisted that that two police officers had told him during a forest search earlier that week that the Knysna Police had two young boys in custody for questioning and that they had admitted to knowing where the little girl had been left behind. When Tshawe asked them why they had not taken the boys to the forest to show the place where they had allegedly left her behind, the police officer allegedly replied that the law did not permit them to do that.
Although Colonel Siddique Khan mentioned that he had personally interviewed the two boys, he did not divulge any further information. When the police were criticised for apparently having taken a great deal more action in investigating the case of the 'white' lady who had been raped on August 27, Khan was quick to respond, "It was in fact the community of Concordia who assisted us and that is why the suspect was apprehended so quickly. It is not because the victim was white," he said.
While the Knysna-Plett Herald (KPH) was not allowed to address the police at the meeting, the KPH nonetheless attempted to bring these pertinent questions to the attention of the SAPS by sending an urgent note. The questions, however, remained unanswered and as the hours slipped away, our reporter left shortly after 13:00 amidst continuing discussion of how members of Bambanani had insulted the missing child's grandfather (Jackson Baleni) by kicking down the doors of his homes, breaking open a cupboard and telling him, "You know where she is!"
The girl has been missing since Thursday, August 28 and was last seen walking from her grandparents' home to her mothers' house. Just as the meeting got underway Nomawethu Baleni, the mother of the missing child, left with members of the SAPS to introduce a different police search dog from Cape Town to the child's scent at their home.
On Tuesday afternoon, September 9, Knysna Police communication officer, Sergeant Chris Spies responded to an official request to answer the urgent questions regarding their search for the missing girl: "I would like to advise you that it is not common procedure to make information about the questioning of persons or suspects public. All information gathered during the search operation were followed up and all possibilities are being investigated."
According to Spies, the Balenis' eldest son John also disappeared in June 2002 at the age of 14. He was never found. John and Liyeam have two sibling - one attends Percy Mdala High School and the other lives with relatives in the Eastern Cape. On Saturday, September 6, the Knysna Police escorted their mother to Port Elizabeth to verify the accuracy of a December 2013 report that a person fitting the description of her missing son had been seen in the city. Unfortunately, the young man was not the missing John Baleni, but DNA samples were nevertheless taken.
While the Nomawethu was looking for her son in Port Elizabeth, a new wave of anxiety washed over Knysna as two more girls, ages 9 and 11, were reported missing from their home in Concordia on Saturday, September 6. Fortunately they were found unharmed by 13:00 on the same day by the Tsitsikamma and Outeniqua K9 Units who were searching for Liyema in the Akkerkloof Dam and Concordia surrounds.The NSRI had previously also searched the dam. No trace of the missing girl could be found.
The search continued in Kanonkop with a search and rescue dog yesterday, Wednesday September 10. Altogether, four dogs and their operators are involved in the search operation at different locations.
Considering how many very young children were noticed walking by themselves during the various searches for Liyema and the other two girls, the police have issued a stern warning to negligent parents: "Parents and guardians are ultimately responsible to take care of their children in terms of the law. Very strong action will be taken against parents who neglect or abuse their children. We want to urge the community to report such incidents to the SAPS Crime Stop number, 08600 10111."
Liyema Baleni is about 1,2m tall and t the time of her disappearance she was dressed in a pink jacket, grey top, white pants and brown boots.
Anyone with information that may assist in finding either of the Baleni children, are requested to urgently contact the investigation officer, Constable Waldo Olivier, at 044 302 6652.
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Vino the search and rescue dog arrived in Knysna from the Outeniqua K9 Unit in George to assist in the search for the missing nine-year-old Liyema Baleni at the Akkerkloof Dam on Saturday, September 6. With Vino are his trainer Rocco Malherbe (left) and specialist diver Koos Coetzee. Photo: Anoeschka von Meck.
ARTICLE: ANOESCHKA VON MECK, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD JOURNALIST
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