The Voice (Francistown)
Chenjelani Baraedi
1 April 2008
Francistown — Efforts to trace a missing 8-year-old schoolgirl in Zimbabwe have been hampered as police there are said to be too busy with the country's elections.
Kefilwe Mpatane, who left her father's Blue town home over three weeks ago, was last seen in the company of a strange woman believed to be her mother. The girl's Zimbabwean-born mother, Nomsa Mahlangu, had dumped the girl on the father when she was a baby and had not been seen since.
"We have so far not received any information from our Zimbabwean counterparts," said Tatitown Police Station Commander, Alfred Ntile. "Police there are engaged with the elections and have little time to help us find the missing girl."
The officer added that they were also looking for the girl locally, and would be distributing pictures of her in public places to inform the public.
Meanwhile the girl's father told The Voice that he would be heading for Zimbabwe shortly after the elections. Expressing his concern, Tshepo Mpatane said: "Since they took the girl without my knowledge, the family could also attack me when they see me in Zimbabwe. What also scares me is that I am not even sure that my former girl-friend was the one who took my daughter."
The heartbroken man also called upon the public to help with any information that would help him find his beloved daughter.
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