Rugby player Muzi Manyike goes missing

The parents of the young rugby player Muzi Manyike, who has not been in contact with any family for weeks now, have apparently asked the police for assistance in trying to locate him.

They have also called in a private investigator to help search for the former Jeppe High pupil and SA Schools player.

While 20-year-old Manyike is said to be “missing”, individuals close to the rugby player whom The Citizen spoke to yesterday confirmed that he was more likely not wanting to be found.

“It’s not as if he was abducted, or something like that,” said someone close to the situation.

Manyike was last seen on CCTV footage climbing out of a car in Pretoria and leaving the keys behind last Wednesday.

He, however, went missing some time ago.

It seems no one knows where to start looking for the former junior Lions player, who recently accepted an invitation to join the SA Sevens academy.

“This has nothing to do with work or his family; it’s a personal thing,” the person close to the situation told The Citizen.

Manyike’s agent, Kobus Porter, confirmed the family had been in contact with the police and a private investigator and said several people were doing everything they could to try and locate the young man.

Bart Schoeman, an agent and the former high-performance manager at the Lions, said yesterday that he was concerned that many young players in today’s times were unable to deal with the pressure of expectation placed on their young shoulders.

He wasn’t, however, prepared to speculate on why Manyike had failed to get in touch with anyone close to him.

Schoeman tweeted a picture of Manyike on Monday and said: “Anyone with information on this young man please contact the authorities.”