KHUMBULANI Zuke (32) from Umlazi, south of Durban, had his prayers answered.
He panicked after his 13-year-old son, Nhlanzeko Mbangatha, went missing.
Nhlanzeko vanished into thin air on 17 May after an argument with his mum.
He was miraculously found on 20 May, wandering in another section of Chatsworth, south of Durban.
From the moment his son disappeared, Khumbulani embarked on a determined search.
He visited hospitals, clinics, and welfare centres and searched almost the entire Chatsworth area.
At every location, he left his contact details, hoping someone would reach out if they spotted Nhlanzeko.
His persistence paid off as his son returned home safe and unharmed.
"While I was busy searching in Chatsworth, I received a phone call from Nhlanzeko's school principal. He asked me where I was, and I told him I was busy looking for my son. He then told me to stop searching because Nhlanzeko had been found. He said someone brought Nhlanzeko to school after finding him. I couldn't believe it. I called Nhlanzeko's mum immediately after the call with the principal," he said.
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Khumbulani was happy and thanked God that he would no longer have to worry about his son's whereabouts and whether he was still alive or not.
"Throughout this painful period Nhlanzeko was missing, I kept praying to find him alive, and God answered my prayers," he said.
He said Nhlanzeko left home after arguing with his mum in the morning when he was supposed to go to school.
"On that day, he didn't want to go to school. His mum was shouting at him. He ran away at that moment and didn't go to school. He also didn't return home. I was heartbroken because he didn't tell us if he had problems at school.
"We've taken him to his gogo's house to stay there for a short while. Although he's alive, he isn't 100% okay. Hopefully, after staying with gogo he will come back okay."
KZN police spokeswoman Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo confirmed that a 13-year-old boy was found by a community member in Chatsworth and reunited with his family.
