Load shedding has been implicated as a possible cause for the trail going cold on the search for an elderly Noordhoek man who went missing five days ago.
Gus Thompson, a missing adult suffering from Alzheimer’s, disappeared on Thursday 14 July in Noordhoek.
Gus resides at a care home near Lake Michelle.
Security footage showed Gus leaving the home at 18:00 on Thursday. He again appeared on CCTV footage, on foot, passing the Chapmans Peak day-pass turning point two hours later. He was heading in the direction of Hout Bay.
Hundreds of volunteers have worked day and night over the past few days to try and locate Gus, but to no avail.
Community Crime Prevention (CCP) members, a non-governmental crime-fighting organisation in Hout Bay, are among those who have assisted with the search.
CCP has access to the streams of about 2 500 cameras spread throughout Hout Bay, starting from the bottom of Chapman’s Peak.
Keri Cross, Executive Director of CCP, says the footage taken from 20:00 to 22:00 on 14 July does not show a man descending Chapman’s Peak.
“However, we lost camera footage between 22:00 and 00:30 due to loadshedding,” says Cross.
The Thompson family has sent out a request to anyone who might have seen Gus or have information on his whereabouts to come forward.
James Thompson, Gus’s son and family spokesperson, says they are very grateful for the volunteers’ support.
“They have answered every phone call, followed hundreds of leads, combed through hours of CCTV footage and assisted us in every way possible,” says James.
Gus is 1,82cm tall and slim.
He has short grey hair and blue eyes.
He was seen wearing a black down puffer jacket, a blue golf shirt, blue jeans, lime green socks and navy running shoes.
He is likely to be confused. He may be asking for Gigi.
- Send any positive sightings or information to 079 650 4814 (WhatsApp only).
