Missing fisherman feared dead
Mfene last seen going to dam
The distraught family of a fisherman who is believed to have drowned in a dam have faith that his body will be recovered.
A week ago, fisherman Mangaliso Mfene, 34, from Duduza, left his younger brother and a friend to go and check on the fishnet he had set the night before at the Spaarwater Dam in Ekurhuleni .
His younger brother Nkosinathi Jwara, 20, said he last saw Mfene on Friday when he waved him a goodbye in the streets.
“He told me he was going to check on his fishnet, something he always did.
“He never came back that day and he didn’t have a phone with him.
“We went to the dam to look for him and found his bag and hat alongside the dam,” he said.
Jwara said Mfene has been fishing at the dam for seven years.
“Fishing was a business to him and he sold his catch to community members, that’s how he survived.”
Mfene’s family is convinced that he drowned while using a makeshift boat.
Mfene’s aunt Sana Jwara, 43, said he could have suffered an epileptic seizure while using the makeshift boat and drowned.
“He was a sweet, talkative person , kind and always laughing with people. The day he went missing he asked for 50 cents to buy a cigarette and I dismissed him because he always did that to me.”
Yesterday, community members watched as divers using sniffer dogs searched through reeds.
Police spokesman Sergeant Harry Manaka said Mfene was last seen seven days ago by his friend.
“They would normally come back to check on their net, but when his friend – known as Joseph – came back, he did not find him. He then told Mfene’s parents. It was only on Wednesday when a family member phoned the police to report that Mangaliso has not returned.
“Police divers and dog handlers are still searching for the body or anything that could give us traces,” he said.
The search is continuing.