A German tourist who was allegedly robbed of his belongings and went missing for five days has been found safe thanks to alert members of the community, police and a missing persons organisation.
Nicolai Kaluza, 27, disappeared on April 6 while visiting Cape Town and was not heard of for nearly a week.
The man’s father, who became worried about him, took to social media asking residents of Cape Town to assist in finding his son as he flew to Cape Town and opened a missing person's case.
Kaluza was found sleeping under a bridge in Somerset West after he was spotted by a resident and his wife, who had seen posters and social media messages that he was missing.
Missing persons organisation, Track n Trace, assisted Kaluza’s family.
His father, Jacek Kaluza, took to the Facebook page, Germans in Cape Town, to say that his son was found alive on April12, but that he was a victim of a crime. “He has been found in Somerset West.
“He has been found in Somerset West. He was robbed but he is alive. More info to follow. Thank you all," Jacek Kaluza wrote.
Chaz Thomas of Track n Trace said: “We ran his case on social media and one of our members posted it on her social media and it went viral. People were calling and messaging with leads about where they saw him. One man said that he found him in Somerset West and took him to the police station where he slept. Track n Trace followed up and made contact with his father. He was later found sleeping under a bridge by security and police.”
Thomas said Nicolai had been staying in Table View when he arrived in Cape Town for his holiday and that it has yet to be revealed what happened and how he came to be in Somerset West.
Police did not respond to queries about the case. Track n Trace wished to thank the neighbourhood watch in Somerset West for assisting in finding the man.
During the same time that the search was on for Nicolai, the case of missing German tourist, Nick Frischke, was being heard at the Wynberg Regional Court.
But due to the State prosecutor being part of the kidnapping trial of Joshlin Smith in Saldanha Bay, the matter had to be postponed to August. Frischke vanished without a trace on a walking trail near Hout Bay on February 15, 2023.
Four suspects linked to Frischke’s disappearance and robbery are making appearances at court.
The suspects are alleged members of the 28s gang - Ishaam Fischer, Melvin Geunantin, Vanroy Petersen and Carlo Geunantin.
Cape Argus