Cape Town — A Cape Town family's desperate search for Dannelene Noach - a nurse who blew the whistle on irregularities at a Saudi Arabia hospital - has lead to nothing but dead ends since her disappearance two months ago.

Noach, 54, from Kraaifontein had been working at King Abdul Aziz Medical City military hospital in Riyadh for about seven years but had kept daily contact with her family.

Her family believes Noach, 54, disappeared from Riyadh just a day or two after her daughter, Lee-Ann Noach-Pienaar, last spoke to her on November 20.

In the past two months, they had initiated a massive search, but have had no luck.

"We spoke on the phone every day. On the first day I couldn't contact her, I thought there was probably something wrong with her phone, but when we still didn't hear from her the next day, I knew something was wrong," said Noach-Pienaar, who was admitted to hospital on Thursday after her chronic illness worsened due to stress.

According to Noach-Pienaar, her mother, a clinical co-ordinator, was asked in May last year to conduct an audit for her department, the Specialised Comprehensive Clinic, and had discovered financial discrepancies implicating "high-ranking officials".

"As soon as she submitted her report, she was suspended without pay. She took the matter to a human rights organisation there because they cited (the use of) black magic for her suspension," she said.

Then she disappeared.

The family has consulted the government, the SA embassy in Saudi Arabia and lawyers in Cape Town and Riyadh for assistance, but to no avail.

On Thursday the department of foreign affairs remained tight-lipped about the investigation, stating only that it was "rendering consular assistance" to the family.

The SA embassy in Riyadh could not be reached.