South African police have disclosed that 742 children disappeared without a trace since 2023, leaving families desperate for answers and relying on authorities to bring them home.
Over the past three years, nearly 2,000 children were reported missing, with 1,252 found and reunited with their families. However, 742 remain unaccounted for, raising concerns about the growing number of unresolved cases.
Police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe revealed that in the 2022/2023 financial year, 740 children were reported missing, but only 474 were found. In the following year, 697 cases were recorded, with 472 children successfully located.
By December 2024, 507 more cases had been reported for the 2024/2025 financial year, and 306 children had been recovered.
As the crisis deepens, social media platforms have been flooded with images of missing children and pleas from families seeking help.
Bianca van Aswegen, national coordinator at Missing Children SA, stated that reports of missing children have been increasing each year, with various factors contributing to the problem. These include rising crime rates, human trafficking, kidnappings, and children running away from home due to abuse or neglect.
Van Aswegen also highlighted that official figures only provide a glimpse of the true scale of the crisis, as many cases go unreported. Some parents fear approaching law enforcement due to mistrust, while others do not report cases when children are taken in custody disputes or trafficked.
“…parents that are not capable of looking after children due to financial needs as well as the increasing of kidnappings and that of human trafficking in our country,” Van Aswegen said.
“We also have children that what we classify as runaways, this is mostly attributed to children being abused at home and run away due to circumstances. We have children that wander off and get lost and also our mentally challenged, autistic children that also tend to get lost,” she added.
Authorities continue to stress the importance of parental vigilance and child safety education.
The Department of Social Development, working alongside law enforcement, has intensified awareness campaigns to help prevent disappearances and ensure children’s safety.
“As part of child protection campaign, educating and raising awareness, parents and caregivers are sensitised to ensure that their children are safe, they know where they are and always supervised. In addition, as part of online and offline safety, children are also sensitised about stranger danger and not meeting strangers online and offline,” spokesperson, Bathembu Futshane said.
