Mother's Desperate Search Across South Africa for Missing Daughter
A mother's worst nightmare has become a reality as she embarks on a desperate, cross-province search for her 19-year-old daughter, Mihle Vimbani, who vanished without a trace after collecting her driving licence in Mthatha.
Mihle, originally from Mount Ayliff in the Eastern Cape, travelled from her current home in Durban to the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality’s traffic department in Ngangelizwe, Mthatha, on 13 November to collect her driving licence. Overjoyed with her achievement, Mihle immediately sent a photo of the licence to her mother, Nonyameko Vimbani, 39, via WhatsApp.
Moments later, Mihle sent another text message, this time a cryptic one: "Mom, guess who I have just bumped into?"
Nonyameko replied instantly, asking "Who?", but that was the last communication she had with her daughter. Mihle never responded, leaving her mother in a state of anguish and launching a frantic search that has spanned several provinces.
"I cannot sleep at night. I have searched for my daughter in both Mthatha and Durban, but to no avail," said a distraught Nonyameko.
Nonyameko's search has taken her across South Africa, from Mthatha and Durban to Johannesburg, as she desperately seeks any information that might lead her to Mihle. After sharing her plight on social media, she was contacted by an individual who claimed they could track Mihle's cellphone.
"This person said my daughter was in Johannesburg but needed R1,700 to successfully locate her. Instead of paying for something we weren’t even sure about, my brother and I decided to go to Johannesburg ourselves to search the areas this man had mentioned. We came back empty-handed because no one we spoke to had seen her," Nonyameko explained.
The financial strain and emotional toll of the search are taking their toll. Nonyameko revealed that she had considered hiring a private investigator, but the R45,000 fee was a significant hurdle. Desperate for any assistance, she even attempted to contact KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, although Mihle's case is being investigated in the Eastern Cape.
"I even tried to Google for Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s contact details, but the number I have is seemingly not going through. I am so desperate and appealing to anyone who can help me locate my daughter, dead or alive," she pleaded.
Adding to Nonyameko's frustration is her perception of the police investigation in Ngangelizwe. "I am not accusing them of anything. I don’t need special favours from them, but I am so desperate. If I can get a phone call from my daughter, that would be better. My worry is I don’t know whether she is alive or not," she said, expressing her concern that the investigation is not progressing quickly enough.
King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality spokesperson Sonwabo Mampoza confirmed that their records indicate Mihle collected her driving licence in Ngangelizwe on the day she disappeared, 13 November.
Mihle matriculated in Durban last year and had applied for a Bachelor of Nautical Science degree at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. She received a provisional acceptance but was later informed that the programme was full for the 2025 academic year. While awaiting responses from other universities, Nonyameko encouraged her daughter to obtain her driving licence.
Despite the challenges, Nonyameko remains determined to find her daughter. Eastern Cape police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli has assured the public that the investigation is ongoing.
"Police can confirm that the investigation is active and ongoing. The detectives are pursuing various leads, which [can]not be publicly disclosed at this stage," Nkohli stated on Monday.
Police are urging anyone with information that could assist in locating Mihle to contact detective Sergeant Mphathiswa Hintsho of the Ngangelizwe police on 083 921 0387. The Vimbani family is clinging to hope that Mihle will be found safe and that they will soon have answers to the questions that haunt them.
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