The family of a Malawian man who was reported missing for a week say they found him injured and confused and unable to say what had happened to him.
George Manda, the father of Chifundo Manda, 33, says he suspects his son was attacked.
Chifundo Manda was last seen at his nephew’s house in Modise Street, Imizamo Yethu, at about 5pm, on Wednesday February 14, according to his nephew, Alan Kamanga (“Malawian man goes missing in Hout Bay,” Sentinel, February 23).
“We still need to find out as a family why he went missing. One of our friends who knows him said he was on his way to work when saw him sitting under a tree somewhere near Table Mountain, last Thursday afternoon (February 22). That same day, they called me; I went to pick him up,” George Manda said.
He said that when he and relatives had gone to fetch Chifundo, they had found him injured and confused.
“He did recognise us when we found him. We saw that his arm was broken, he had scars all over his body, his legs were swollen and he had lost a lot of weight. When we asked what happened to him, he said he doesn’t know.”
Chifundo’s words had been slurred and he had struggled to put whole sentences together.
“We could see he was very confused and could not say if he was robbed. He kept saying, ‘I don’t know,’ whenever I asked him questions.”
Chifundo was admitted to Victoria Hospital in Wynberg.
“Even when the doctor asked my son what happened to him, he said he doesn’t know,” Mr Manda said.
He added that he had seen an improvement in Chifundo’s speech on Wednesday February 28, but his son could still not recall what had happened.
Hout Bay police chief Captain Jerome Syster said the family had notified the police that Chifundo had been found.
“It’s now up to the victim to give us a statement, saying what happened so we can then investigate the matter further,” Captain Syster said.
The Sentinel asked Victoria Hospital for an update on Chifundo Manda’s condition. Provincial health department spokesperson Natalie Watlington responded, saying: “We can confirm that a patient matching the description has been admitted to Victoria Hospital and is receiving the appropriate treatment. Due to patient confidentiality, we cannot disclose any further information.”
