Cape Town student missing after having to walk home

A Cape Town student, Isabel Velile Ndlovu, has been missing since Thursday, 3 August 2023, and the public are being requested to please keep a look out for her. UPDATE 8 Aug ’23: Missing Cape Town student Isabel Ndlovu has been found alive.

College of Cape Town has issued a Missing person alert, asking for help in finding Isabel, who is a student at the college.

The College said: “She was last seen on Thursday, 3 August 2023 leaving the College of Cape Town Wynberg Skills Centre. She was last seen wearing the College Beauty Therapy uniform (black with red details).”

One of Isabel’s friends, Tegan Holtzhausen, said in a post that’s gone viral, that Isabel “had to walk home, due to the taxi strike, from the terminus in Wynberg to Khayelitsha. She has not been seen since.” Tegan said Isabel has brown to white braids. Tegan confirmed in a comment that the Pink Ladies have been notified.

The taxi strike – which has seen a bus driver shot and vehicles set alight – has led to municipal services being closed in several communities, and school and clinics being shut because of threats of violence. One resident of Gugulethu told GroundUp she waited hours on Thursday before eventually having to walk home, getting home after 11pm. Speaking on Friday, she said: “I was so scared. I didn’t go to work today.” GroundUp found many people stayed home or went to work with buses.

UPDATE SAT NIGHT (5 AUG) – Tegan says: “She was apparently last seen in Phillipi by a woman that walked with her and offered her a place to stay for the night but she refused and carried on walking. So it’s been narrowed down to between Phillipi and Khalelitsya guys “

If anyone has information on the whereabouts of Isabel Ndlovu, please contact the police or Mr Dickens on 069 576 5239.

P.S. Another student, Exo Nia, has pointed out: “Can people please stop saying weird things like oh why didn’t she ask etc. I myself came from Uni that day unaware of what was happening there were no taxis and the busses were so full. Plus the police stations couldn’t help; we had no choice (but) to walk home from where we were at; and yes we know it was dangerous but were we supposed to sleep outside and be killed anyway? It’s rare to get people to offer you a ride because allowing a stranger in your car potentially puts your life in danger too because you don’t know them. Men or women. The situation was really bad. And a lot of people walked home that day. Because everyone just wanted to get home. Even though it wasn’t safe. We had to risk our lives as we have come to a point in this country that you don’t even know if you’re safe in your own house. I pray that she gets found soon!”