ONE minute he was in the centre entertaining caregivers, the next he was gone.
Mpho Madiba (30) seems to have disappeared into thin air.
This was after he stormed out of the Xola Disability Day and Night Centre in Block JJ, Soshanguve, north of Tshwane on Sunday morning.
The incident happened when the day shift caregivers relieved the night shift.
The centre, established in 2007, is a home for people who are mentally unstable, mute, deaf, blind and people living with other disabilities.
The 30-year-old man was referred to the centre by social workers in September last year.
According to the founder of the centre, Salome Njenga (48), Mpho is not just mentally unstable but also mute.
She said that the gates of the centre are always locked for safety. Salome said that Mpho was a good listener and followed orders when he was talked to.
But on Sunday one of the caregivers forgot to lock the gate and Mpho saw the opportunity to run outside and once there he enjoyed the freedom of being on the street.
When he was called back to the yard he ran and never stopped.
“Some of the caregivers tried to run after him but they failed because he was sprinting like a cheetah,” she said.
She said it happened so fast that no one noticed when he went out of the gate.
“He liked to sing but because he was mute he would just clap his hands, dance and hum his favourite songs while other patients watched in amusement.”
She said unlike many people living with disabilities, Mpho was not aggressive.
“He just liked food and singing, and it came as a shock to me to realise that he was missing.”
She said what made things worse was that no one knew his family.
“Social workers found him roaming in the streets and referred him to the centre.”
She asked SunReaders to help bring him back. One of the caregivers, Dumisile Dlamini (42), said the centre is not the same without Mpho.
“He was a very loud person who entertained us all the time and we were used to it.”
Captain Steven Maluleke, Rietgat police spokesman, said a missing person’s case was opened. Anyone with information on Mpho’s whereabouts should contact the police station on (012) 797 2601.