A Khayelitsha family is desperately searching for 27-year-old teacher and mother Andisiwe Jobela, who disappeared after leaving home in Kuyasa on Tuesday morning.
Andisiwe left at about 07:00 in an e-hailing vehicle, heading to Bulumko High School where she teaches. It was the last time her family heard from her, and relatives are now appealing to anyone with information about her whereabouts to come forward.
The family’s concern has deepened because Andisiwe has a one-year-old baby and, according to her relatives, would not simply leave without telling anyone. Her disappearance also comes at a time of heightened fear surrounding violence against women, following the discovery of eight women’s bodies in and around Kempton Park and other parts of Ekurhuleni.
The family has stressed that there is no confirmation linking Andisiwe’s disappearance to those cases. Her relatives are asking the public to focus on finding her and to avoid spreading rumours or unverified updates online.
Andisiwe’s relative, Ayanda Jobela, said the family had been unable to sleep because they did not know where she was or what had happened after she left for work.
“She is a teacher at one of the High School’s in Khayelitsha and took a cab to school but did not share her location with anyone, we know nothing. She would not just leave because she has a small baby who is a year old.”
Ayanda said Andisiwe had signed the school register at about 07:50. The principal reportedly saw her at the school and later saw her leaving through the gate, but most of her colleagues did not see her.
That information has left the family trying to establish what happened between Andisiwe’s arrival at the school and the moment she was last seen leaving the premises.
“At school she signed the register at 7.50am. According to the principal, she saw Andisiwe at the school but saw her leaving the gate but most of her colleagues did not see her.”
The family has not said why Andisiwe left the school, whether she was expected to leave during the morning or whether she was seen getting into another vehicle. Those details may form part of the missing-person investigation.
Ayanda said the circumstances were completely unlike Andisiwe, particularly because of her responsibilities as a mother.
“This is a huge concern for us as a family, we could not sleep because we do not know where she is, especially with everything that has been going on (regarding the bodies of the eight women found in Ekurhuleni).“This is unlike her, she would not just leave without saying anything and more especially because she has a baby, she would not do it.”
Andisiwe was last seen wearing a denim shirt and denim pants. The family has appealed to residents, commuters, school staff, e-hailing drivers, motorists and anyone who may have been in the area to provide information that could help locate her.
The family has also warned members of the public about false posts circulating online. Some social media users have reportedly shared claims that Andisiwe had been found, but relatives said those reports were untrue.
“People are also spreading fake information online posting fake posts that she has been found which is not true. She is still missing.”
The warning is important because false information can create confusion and give relatives temporary hope before causing further distress. It can also divert attention from genuine information that may assist investigators.
Members of the public have been urged not to create or share unverified updates about Andisiwe. Anyone claiming to know where she is should provide the information directly to her family or the police rather than posting speculation online.
The last confirmed information available is that Andisiwe left her home in Kuyasa at about 07:00, travelled by e-hailing vehicle to Bulumko High School, signed the register at approximately 07:50 and was later seen leaving the school gate.
Investigators and the family will need to establish the e-hailing vehicle’s route, identify any communication from Andisiwe after she left home, review possible CCTV footage and speak to people who saw her at or near the school. Any person who saw her leaving the premises may have important information about her next destination.
The school’s attendance register may also help confirm the time she arrived. Staff members, learners, security personnel, motorists and residents in the surrounding area may be able to assist with a description of her movements.
Andisiwe’s disappearance has caused anxiety in Kuyasa and across Khayelitsha. Teachers, parents and neighbours are now hoping that the young mother will be found safe and returned to her family and one-year-old child.
The wider concern about violence against women has made the search even more urgent, but the family is asking the public not to assume that the case is connected to any other investigation. No such link has been confirmed.
The most important step is to establish what happened after Andisiwe was seen leaving Bulumko High School. The family is asking anyone with information, no matter how small it may seem, to come forward.
They are also asking people to share only confirmed information and to respect the family as it waits for answers. For relatives, every hour without news increases the fear, while every reliable tip could help bring Andisiwe home.
