A Manenberg mother says Mother’s Day will bring no celebration while her son remains missing four years after he was allegedly taken by his father.

Niccaylia Arries says her son, Maksudi Schrotz, disappeared on 10 April 2022 after his father allegedly collected him from their Gail Court home to take him for a haircut. She has now renewed her plea for the Manenberg missing boy to be brought home.

Manenberg missing boy last seen in April 2022

Arries told the Cape Argus that Maksudi would have marked his birthday this week, but she has not seen him since April 2022. She said the child’s father, Ramadan Maksudi, had remained involved in his life after the couple separated, although he did not pay child support.

According to Arries, Maksudi’s father arrived on 10 April 2022 and said he was taking the child to the barber. Later, he allegedly messaged her to say the boy was sleeping at his place. Arries said she asked that her son be returned because he had school, but the messages later stopped.

Daily Voice reported similar details in April 2022 and April 2023, including Arries’s claim that her son had been taken without her consent and that she feared he had been removed from South Africa.

Arries opened a missing persons case. The Cape Argus reported that an investigating officer’s statement said the child might be in Burundi illegally, but this has not been independently confirmed by SAPS.

Mother renews plea before Mother’s Day

Arries said she remains devastated because she could not wish her son a happy birthday in person. “I am begging him to bring my child home, he needs to be with his mother,” she told the Cape Argus.

The case comes as South Africa continues to deal with cross-border child abduction disputes under the Hague Convention framework. Legal research published in 2023 notes that South Africa incorporated the Hague Convention into domestic law through the Children’s Act, with the Chief Family Advocate acting as the Central Authority.

However, that framework depends on the facts of each case and cooperation between relevant states. The Hague Conference on Private International Law says its Permanent Bureau does not assist in individual abduction cases.

SAPS response still awaited

The Cape Argus reported that SAPS had not responded to requests for an update by the time of publication. No newer official police update was found in available public search results.

For now, Arries’s public plea remains focused on one request: that the Manenberg missing boy be returned safely to South Africa.