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A family from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal fears for the life of their 10-year-old boy after he went missing outside his primary school last month.
Miguel Louw disappeared outside Rippon Primary School in Sydenham, central Durban, on Tuesday 17 July.
A suspect was arrested shortly after Miguel’s disappearance when CCTV footage showed the suspect with the boy.
The suspect appeared in the Durban magistrate’s court on Monday for the first time since his arrest.
Magistrate Mahomed Motala ordered that the suspect’s name not be mentioned in court as it could hamper the ongoing investigation.
WATCH: Mother of missing Durban boy, 10, lashes out at accused
Arlene Moardeen-Paul, the boy’s grandmother, spoke to YOU on Tuesday saying the Louw family is heartbroken after Miguel’s disappearance and desperately seeking answers about the abduction.
She says Raylene, Miguel’s mother, became very emotional in court on Monday when she confronted the suspect for the first time since her son’s disappearance.
"She wanted to know what any mother in a similar situation would want to know – she wanted to know where her son is.
"It’s very traumatic. No one in the family is eating, no one is sleeping, I’m on strong medication – we’re practically not living. We’re in a constant state of fear that we’ll get a phone call to say Miguel has been harmed," she says.
Arlene says the community of Sydenham, where Miguel’s family lives, are in mourning and "constantly praying for good news".
"Many members of the community come to us and tell us they’ve never been as shattered as they are now. Miguel and his sister have an incredibly close bond. She’s equally traumatised – we don’t know what to tell her when she asks if her brother’s ever coming back."
Colonel Thembeka Mbhele, provincial police spokesperson, says the suspect is due back in court next week. She was unable to confirm a specific date for this next court appearance.
Colonel Mbhele says the suspect was initially charged with kidnapping but the charge has now been converted to child trafficking.
She says police can’t disclose any further information about the case or the suspect at this point because the investigation is still ongoing.
Due to the sensitive nature of the case it’s been handed over to the Hawks, the Directory for Priority Crime Investigation.
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