UPDATE | Pregnant mom and daughter, 5, found safe after going missing a week ago

A heavily pregnant woman and her five-year-old daughter who “disappeared” a week ago have been found safe.

Tessa Roodt’s family confirmed that she and her daughter, Crystal, were safe. They were found in Margate, on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, on Monday.

Her sister-in-law, Cindy Roodt, said Tessa and Crystal were fine.

They were planning to take Tessa, who has not yet given birth, to hospital on Tuesday.

There were fears for the 32-year-old's safety as she was two weeks overdue, and her family worried she might not get the medical treatment she needed — or be able to look after her daughter — if she went into labour.

Tessa lived in Rustenburg, in the North West, with her father and was staying with her stepmother in Hibberdene, KZN, in the run-up to the birth of her fourth child.

Earlier, Cindy Roodt told TimesLIVE that Tessa was scheduled to have a caesarean section at Port Shepstone Hospital, in KwaZulu-Natal, a week ago.

“She didn’t arrive at the hospital. She was seen at Hibberdene Spar later that morning. She then went home to her stepmom, where she was said to have packed a bag and left with Crystal on foot.

“They were later picked up and dropped off on the Mtwalume off-ramp, 10km north of Hibberdene. Tessa declined the driver’s assistance and said she was heading to Durban. There was a picture circulating that a woman took of them walking on the highway.”

The pair were later spotted in Amanzimtoti.

A day later they were seen at Addington Hospital in Durban.

Cindy Roodt said Tessa was suffering from severe depression, “as she always does during her pregnancies”.“She is in no way mental disturbed or mentally unstable, as assumed by the public on social media. Tessa didn’t say much during her stay with her stepmom but was always concerned about her father, who works in Rustenburg,” said Roodt.

TimesLIVE