'IT'S NOT CHANELLE'

THE family of 16-year-old missing Paarl teen Chanelle Plaatjies believe she’s still alive.

This despite the discovery of a decomposing body buried in a shallow grave near their home in Smarty Town, just metres from where her shoe was found.

Chanelle was last seen on 14 May but was only reported missing two weeks later on 28 May.

The delay in reporting, the family says, was due to the hope that she would return home, as she usually did when she went out with friends.

The breakthrough in the search came on Monday, when her sisters stumbled upon one of her shoes in a wooded area about a kilometre from their house.

It was this discovery that led to the unearthing of a body believed to be that of a young woman.

Speaking emotionally to the media outside the family home, Chanelle’s father Samuel Jacobs described the moment they discovered the shoe.

He says: “My daughters first spotted the shoe and they positively identified it as Chanelle’s.

"They noticed there was something strange about the ground under it. At first, I stopped them from touching it, but when I saw the shoe, something told me my daughter was there.”

Driven by instinct and fear, Jacobs began digging.

He says: “I took a spade and dug until there was a smell of a decomposed body in the air.

“But before I could see anything, the police arrived and took over. As I was digging, I hoped with all my heart that it wasn’t her. I believe she is alive.”

Chanelle’s mother, Hester Plaatjies, echoed the same sentiment, adding: “I have a feeling that the body found there is not my daughter’s. My motherly instinct is telling me that my child is still out there and alive. That may have been her shoe, but my heart says she’s still with us.”

Police spokesperson Colonel Novela Potelwa confirmed that Paarl East police have been investigating, adding: “DNA testing is underway to determine whether it is that of the missing teenager.”

Rumours are now swirling in the community that Chanelle may have been killed by a boyfriend recently released from prison.

Dad Samuel adds: “None of us know him or his face. Usually, we know everyone in the area. The community is angry because Chanelle was so young and had a bright future. We heard this boyfriend had just come out of jail a month or two ago. If it’s him, how can our children be safe?”

As the community waits anxiously for confirmation, Chanelle’s family continues to hold on to hope.

Ma Hester says: “I’m not giving up. Until I see proof, my daughter is still alive in my heart.”