The families of two girls who disappeared without a trace for a week have remained tight-lipped after the teens returned home safe and sound.
The two best friends came home last Friday, the same day that the Daily Voice published a front-page appeal to help find them.
Now, a missing person’s organisation has warned that they will take action if the youngsters were “fooling around”.
Nabeelah Mitchell, 14, and Aqeelah Genade, 15, from Heideveld were reunited with their families after their parents told the Daily Voice they feared the girls had been kidnapped.
The teens, who are both in Grade 9 at Heideveld High School, returned home around 4.20pm, with Nabeelah apparently in tears.
They went missing on Saturday, 12 November, and were last seen sitting outside Aqeelah’s home in Blouberg Close, Heideveld.
Their mothers Amiena Genade and Naeema Mitchell yesterday claimed they can’t reveal where their daughters have been because they haven’t had a chance to talk to them yet.
However, a source close to the investigation says the girls “scuttled home” after they were spotted and approached by a cop in Wynberg on Friday.
Aqeelah opened the door when the Daily Voice visited her home on Sunday.
The teen, who was busy with her tablet, did not say anything, and called her mother.
Amiena said she was waiting for Aqeelah to “calm down” before speaking to her.
“I just want to say thank you to the Daily Voice, the community and the police who helped us look for our (daughters),” she says.
“I don’t know where they were, I haven’t had a chance to speak to her and ask her what happened. We are all still very traumatised but I am happy to have my child back,” she says.
She says their fears of kidnapping were unfounded.
“We just want everyone to know that they are both safe and unharmed,” she says.
“We also want everyone to know that no one brought them home, they came home by themselves.”
Nabeelah and her family were not home when the Daily Voice went to their house yesterday.
Naeema did not return Daily Voice’ s phone calls either, but told the Weekend Argus that she hasn’t spoken to Nabeelah yet.
“She came home crying so we haven’t talked and now she is with her aunt,” the mom said.
Captain Frederick van Wyk confirms both girls returned home unharmed and that the investigation was closed.
Meanwhile, Dessie Rechner from the Pink Ladies organisation, which assists police in finding missing persons, warns she “will take action and say something if they’ve been fooling around”.
“These children do no realise the dangers that they put themselves into when they step out into the street, for example human trafficking,” she says.
“These parents need to sit these children down and tell them exactly what they can expect out on the streets when they run away.”
“If they want to play and jol, we are going to retaliate. When these youngsters go missing, please make sure it’s genuine because we have to run out for every single case.”