Yaeesh Collins|Published
A search is under way for 38-year-old Fatima Arendse, who was last seen at an Engen petrol station in Surrey Estate in the early hours of Monday, 26 October, according to close friend Jade Pretorius, who has been leading online posts and calls to action.
Arendse is described as a slim coloured female, approximately 165 cm tall, with long black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black dress, carrying a cardigan, and wearing green contact lenses.
After a night out near The Shack, Arendse and two childhood friends found themselves with dead mobile phones at around 4:00 am. They accepted a lift from an unknown male who offered to take them to Woodstock. The driver then took a 'de-tour', and the group found themselves in Surrey Estate.
When they stopped at an Engen petrol station in Surrey Estate, Arendse remained in the vehicle while her two friends went inside to buy some items after the night. Before they could return, the driver allegedly drove away with Arendse still inside.
"Some guy drove off with her in his car while two friends were inside the petrol station, getting cigarettes," Pretorius said. "This guy drove off with her, and she hasn't been seen or heard from since."
Based on descriptions from the two friends present, the suspect is a very tall Coloured man, estimated to be between 39 and 41 years old.
He was wearing a cap, had a beard with no moustache, and had visible pimples on the back of his head. Garage attendants verified that the suspect's vehicle is an "oldish" white Nissan Almera.
According to Pretorius, staff observed that "the front didn't have a license plate and they couldn't see if the back had a license plate".
Pretorius is working to officially open the case at the Surrey Estate police station, the precinct closest to where the incident occurred, after initially being turned away from the Woodstock station because the abduction happened outside their jurisdiction
While the police personnel at Surrey Estate were "reacting well and trying to be as prompt as possible," Pretorius noted the administrative process was "turning into "a very long process."
Securing the official police docket is required to legally retrieve the Engen garage's surveillance video. "We're trying to get the police to make the case as fast as possible to be able to access the footage at the petrol station," Pretorius explained.
Staff confirmed that CCTV footage exists, though Pretorius noted they "didn't say whether the guy's face is shown" and "didn't say much at all."
Anyone with information regarding Fatima Arendse or the white Nissan Almera is urged to contact SAPS Surrey Estate at +27 71 491 9090.
At the time of publication, Pretorius is still waiting at the Surrey Estate police station to secure the official docket.
IOL