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"Please come home," was the tearful plea of 14-year-old Mumtaaz Abrahams' distraught aunt, as the search for the missing Mitchells Plain teen continued on Wednesday.
Pictures of Abrahams flashing a bright happy smile have been shared widely with pleas for any information on the teen's whereabouts, since she failed to return from the shops on Easter Sunday.
"When she took too long, we went looking, and we have been searching ever since," said Kashiefa Fakir.
"We just hope she is safe where she is."
The teen lives with her aunt in Eastridge and has never run away, so her family is beside themselves with worry.
"Every possible search party is looking for her," said Fakir.
She said that like most teens, Mumtaaz would occasionally walk through the door a few minutes later than expected, but had never simply not come home before.
"She never ran away or anything," she said.
'God is with us'
The family is grasping at the hope that Mumtaaz bumped into a friend and uncharacteristically slept over at their house without telling anyone, and is now worried about getting into trouble.
The search party has, however, already contacted all the friends that they know, with no luck.
Fakir said Mumtaaz must not worry if she thinks she did something naughty, and must just come home.
"Even if she slept over at a friend without telling us, and feels she has done something naughty and is scared, please tell her to come home," said Fakir through tears.
Asked how the family was coping, Fakir said: "God is with us."
READ: Sigh of relief as missing children found in Pretoria
Police spokesperson Siyabulela Malo said Abrahams was last seen at around 14:00 in Olive Street, Eastridge, which is east of Cape Town CBD.
At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a black long sleeve top, blue denim pants and black slippers.
She is around 1.5m tall, weighs about 45kg, has a light complexion with dark brown eyes, and brown shoulder-length hair.
Anybody with information of her whereabouts, or Mumtaaz herself, can call investigating officer Constable Mboxela of the Mitchells Plain police on 073 114 1921 or 021 370 1638.
