Search for missing toddler intensifies into second week
Pini Bothoko | Tuesday March 3, 2026 10:58
Boitshepo Khumoetsile is believed to have left his home on February 16, 2026, and has not been seen since.
According to police investigating the matter, the toddler was at home with his mother and grandmother on the night he went missing. The two adults were asleep and did not see him leave the house.
Confirming the incident, Rakops Police Station Commander Superintendent Joel Machete said the child’s parents discovered he was missing when they woke up.
“His parents said that when they woke up, the little boy was nowhere to be found. They searched around the homestead but could not locate him. They then reported the matter to the police,” said Machete.
Since receiving the report, police, together with community members and Rakops village leadership, have conducted extensive searches in and around the cattlepost. However, their efforts have so far yielded no results.
Machete explained that the family lives in an isolated area deep in the bush, where the nearest homestead is approximately 6.5 kilometres away.
“There is no way a child of his age could have left that area to visit the next yard on his own,” he said.
A police helicopter has been deployed to assist in the search on two occasions, combing the surrounding bushland from the air. Despite these efforts, authorities say they continue to face challenges in locating the missing toddler.
The disappearance has left the small Habe community devastated and anxious, as hope of finding the young boy alive grows increasingly dim.
Police have appealed to members of the public for any information that could assist in the ongoing investigation.