The search for 35-year-old Lebo Mniki continues after he vanished after he was last seen at Respublica Princeton Village, visiting his girlfriend on August 29. Image: Supplied .
(The Post News)-After more than 30 days of a torturous hunt for 35-year-old Lebo Mniki, the Mniki family has been forced to request student tips and now urgently seeks the quick DNA identification of burned remains found in the North West.
On August 28, Mniki, a resident of Soweto, was last seen going to see his girlfriend at the Respublica Princeton Village student residence in Midrand. While CCTV confirms his entry, his family and residence management acknowledge there is no evidence he ever left the premises, a central point of conflict in the case.
In a powerful demonstration of her desperation, Mniki’s mother, Nontutuzelo Mniki, pleaded with the public, particularly those inside the residence, during an interview with SABC News. “Right now, I’m at a point where I’m saying, whatever they have done to him, can you just please tell me where my child is? That’s all I’m asking,” Nontutuzelo Mniki stated. “Even if it’s a message that says, ‘Go look that side.’”
Mniki family is making an appeal to overcome the wall of silence and conflicting reports. Their search started in frustration, as previously reported, after Douglasdale Police Station officials allegedly declined to open a complaint, describing Mniki as a “fugitive.”
Additionally, the Mniki family also maintains their suspicions despite the residence management’s public declarations of cooperation, casting doubt on the little CCTV material they were shown and the apparent inconsistency of a security guard’s story, supported by video proof. With reference to “freshly painted” doors that they were not permitted to examine, they have also expressed worries about security failures and potential evidence tampering.
Discovery Shifts Mniki Family’s Focus to Forensics
The Mniki family’s attention has, however, been drastically diverted to a police discovery by the most recent sad news. When authorities searched the house and found no evidence of Mniki, the investigation came to a startling discovery.
Since then, the mother has given the police two DNA samples for analysis. “My DNA was taken at Pretoria Forensic Pathology, and after a conversation I had with the station commander, he promised that he will ask for that test to be put as a priority,” she stated.
She went on to say that she was quite frustrated and that she had hoped to have heard back by now. With her hope for her son’s safety diminishing, the mother’s sole focus is now on finding his remains to achieve closure.
About the Author
