Police are investigating after the driver of a staff transport taxi went missing on Vanguard Drive early on Wednesday morning.
John Vernon, 57, from Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain, was heading out to pick up staff at I&J factory in Woodstock when staff called his boss to say he did not pitch up.
Taxi owner Novelen Maledo from Mandalay says he immediately sent another driver to do the trip, thinking Vernon had overslept and was not worried.
He says this has never happened before.
When he tried to call Vernon at about 7.30am, his phone was off.
He immediately activated the tracker on the van and it was traced to Schaapkraal.
“We started following the van which constantly moved around, from Philippi onto Strandfontein Road, and finally it was dumped at Freedom Park in Ottery.
“We got to the van exactly four minutes after it was abandoned,” Maledo said.
Inside the van they found Vernon’s driver’s licence and wallet, but no trace of him.
They headed to Lentegeur police station where a missing person’s case was opened.
Maledo said they questioned residents in the vicinity of where the taxi was found but no one saw anything.
“This is very frustrating. The man’s family is worried. We went from hospital to morgue to police station trying to see if we could find him at any of the locations the taxi had been, but we could find nothing,” he says.
Police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk says an investigation is underway. “John Vernon, 57, was reported missing at Lentegeur police station on Wednesday.
“Anyone with information about the missing person can contact Sergeant Ivan Ryneveldt on 021 377 5000 or Crime Stop 08600 10 111.”