Missing man’s body found under bridge

THE body of a teacher who had been missing since Sunday was found under a bridge in the Mthatha River, yesterday, with his throat slit.

Cengilizwe Mkhululi Nkohla, 47, a Ngwayibanjwa Senior Secondary School teacher from KwaDosi village near Mthatha went missing on Sunday night.

He had phoned his wife to let her know he was heading home, but never arrived.

His body was found under Norwood Bridge around 1pm on Wednesday.

Nkohla’s family accused police of not helping them in trying to trace his whereabouts and believe if the police response had been swifter, the father of two could have been saved.

He last spoke to his wife Nolitha on Sunday night as he was leaving town for his Payne Farm home near Mthatha.

When he never arrived home and fearing he may have been abducted or hijacked, his family went to police for help.

However, they claimed police showed no serious intent to search for the missing man.

Nolitha said she had last heard from her husband shortly after 10pm when he called to say he was heading home. “But he never arrived,” she said.

Calls to his cellphone went straight to voicemail.

“I started to panic. He was not the kind of man who would not come back home, or have his phone on voicemail for no apparent reason,” she said.

Nolitha said they were able to trace his bakkie after calling a tracker company and it was found on Monday near Tsolo on the N2 near the Tsitsa Bridge.

It is believed it was abandoned after it ran out of fuel.

“I am now baffled how the bakkie ended up near Qumbu,” she said. “I prayed he would be safe wherever he was.”

She claimed she had gone to Madeira police station to open a missing person’s case but officers refused to do so.

“The tracker company had demanded that we open a case so that they could assist us further. But the police at Madeira police station made a joke of the situation and refused to open a case even when I begged them. I had to leave the station without any help,” she said.

The case was only opened four hours later when the family decided to go to the Mthatha Central police station.

“The case was opened after Lieutenant-Colonel Mzukisa Fatyela and other senior officials intervened. By the time the case was opened it was about 8am on Monday,” she said.

Family spokesman Chief Ayanda Faku said they were promised a helicopter and dogs as part of a search.

“But there was only one dog which was tired hardly an hour after it arrived. There was no explanation as to why the dog arrived late and why the chopper did not arrive on Monday and Tuesday,” said Faku.

“On Wednesday police even dumped us during the search and left us. There was no explanation about why Madeira police refused to open a case.

“If they acted swiftly, Doc could have been found alive and culprits arrested by now,” said Faku.

He alleged it was only through the family’s investigation that the body was eventually found.

However, Fatyela said police had assisted and the reason why a helicopter was not called in was because it was “too windy”.

He confirmed he had been called by the family to intervene.

“The case was opened at Central police station and later transferred to Madeira. We are investigating the allegations by the family and we will follow them up,” he said. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za