It has been 28 agonising days since East London grandmother Eudora Bruintjies vanished without a trace, and her family is now bracing for the heartbreaking possibility that their search may end with a devastating discovery.
The 52-year-old Bruintjies, who suffers from severe epilepsy, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder was last seen on October 25 around 7pm on Lavender Avenue, Parkside, dressed in a pink gown and a striped dress. Given her health constraints, Bruintjies cannot survive without immediate access to her medication which was left behind the wake of her disappearance.
Without her medication, the severity of her epileptic fits worsen and once the fit passes, her symptoms resemble that of a stroke, which can result in temporary amnesia making it difficult for her to communicate coherently and understand her surroundings.
Buffalo Flats SAPS, in collaboration with community volunteers and missing person’s NPC, Missing They Wrote (MTW), have been searching in the immediate perimeter around where she was last seen especially the bushy areas, as well as checking mortuaries and hospitals, however no inroads have been made.
Extensive search efforts have also been hindered by false tip-offs and prank calls from the public, demanding money for false information.
MTW’s Chaplain Bernadine Wilken said all tip-offs regarding possible sightings of Bruintjies had run completely dry in the last week, which left the SAPS with little to go on. Both SAPS and MTW are urging members of the public who spot Bruintjies to stay with her, call SAPS Detective Shaelyn Devereux on 072-724-2070, and to wait with Bruintjies until officers arrive.
Eudora’s daughter Monique said the family was shattered by her mother’s disappearance and were forced to accept that after almost a month, the possibility of her safe return was slim.
Monique said: “We, as her children, are falling apart, worrying whether she’s still alive. We hardly sleep or eat, and my younger brothers are not coping at school under the pressure.
“The days get harder and have stretched us to breaking point because without any information, we have no idea of her condition. Not knowing is torture and I wouldn’t wish this pain and fear on anyone.”
Parkside residents, especially women, are outraged at the slow progress made to locate Eudora, given her situation, which highlights the vulnerabilities that the elderly, disabled, and women experience in the community.
One resident said life for the elderly and the disabled was tough in the community because there was no support for them, especially financially, which left them vulnerable to abuse and neglect.
Masimanyane Women’s Rights International’s Dr Lesley-Ann Foster said; “My view is that this is probably a criminal case, or we would’ve been able to locate her by now. This points to the vulnerability of older women.
“We are not safe anywhere and at anytime in our lives. We need stronger protection measures within communities especially around older women.”
SA Older Person’s Forum spokesperson Roedolf Kay said elderly women were especially vulnerable to going missing as well as to becoming victims of violence and abuse.
Kay said addressing this would require proactive planning, technology, community involvement and education.
Kay said: “Cases like Eudora’s, where elderly women go missing in SA, have become an almost daily occurrence and you can just imagine the anxiety an elderly person like her may experience in a situation like this. It is sad.
“Families and caregivers need to familiarise themselves with the daily movements of the elderly, especially those that suffer from dementia or early onset dementia or related diseases like Eudora’s, because the short-term memory loss associated with this disease may result in an elderly woman losing her grip on herself and her surroundings.
“Elderly women are vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse and specific to the SA context, is the occurrence of financial abuse.
“Elderly women that receive their old age grants are often the victims of criminals, loan sharks and even relatives.
“Elderly women exposed to violent crime or abuse often face a range of short-term and long-term impacts that affect their physical, psychological and social well-being.
“These effects can be compounded by age-related vulnerabilities, including existing health conditions and sadly, often, limited social support.”
In the Eastern Cape, gender-based violence, especially femicide, is the highest in the country and nearly seven women a day are murdered.
Researchers studying gender and disability in the Western Cape found that women who live with disabilities are at higher risk of sexual and psychological violence, financial abuse, neglect and deprivation.
Private investigator, specialising in kidnapping cases, Brad Nathanson said the challenge in locating missing people was the exhausted police services, which had been left with little to no resources but that this could be resolved through collaboration between the private sector and SAPS.
Nathanson also advocated for harsher sentencing to be meted out against kidnappers.
If you have information that could help find Eudora Bruintjies, please contact the SAPS or Missing They Wrote on: 072-184-1242 or 072-874-8566.Dr Annamarie Knoblauch, Provincial Director for the Association for Persons with Disabilities (APDEC) believes ward councillors need to track and assist people with disabilities in their areas, ensuring they have councillors’ contact details for emergencies.
Knoblauch said missing persons with disabilities, particularly those with hearing, sight, or movement impairments, face significant risks due to communication barriers, highlighting the importance of training for first responders and the use of identification tools like armbands with emergency contact information.
