Durban magistrate slams 'bungling' of missing persons case
A Durban magistrate has come down hard on the police who were tasked with investigating the 2007 disappearance of Hillary mother Faika Esop Ali.
Seven years after she went missing - and despite the fact that her body has never been found - Ali's one-time boyfriend was arrested for her murder but the charges against him wound up being withdrawn and an inquest was ordered
In handing down judgment yesterday, magistrate Irfaan Khallil - who presided over that inquest - said the court was still in the dark regarding what had happened to her.
No evidence of death in unsolved missing woman's case: Magistrate
“We are today - some 12 years down the line - in no better position to ascertain what became of Miss Ali. Her loved ones, family and friends must continue to live in the anguish of not knowing what became of her,” he said.
Allegations of corruption, ineptitude and the manipulation of evidence emerged during the inquest and Khallil slammed the police's 'bungling' of the case,
“It is not a case of those affected by the disappearance of Miss Ali being let down by the system. It is some of the people in the system who had critical roles to play, who appeared not to do what was reasonably expected of them”.