With the case against the five suspects linked with German tourist Nick Frischke’s disappearance yet again postponed, speculation is running rife as to the 22-year-old’s fate.
Dialing in via a video call from Pollsmoor Medium 2, Igshaan Fisher, Jason Abrahams, Vanroy Petersen, Carlo Guenantin and Melvin Guenantin appeared in the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 4 May.
The case was promptly postponed to Thursday 22 June for further police investigation, with the presiding judge stating that the defendants would remain in custody.
The men were arrested after being found in possession of the tourist’s belongings.
They were charged with aggravated robbery after admitting that they had robbed Frischke on a hiking trail in Hout Bay.
The suspects claim they left him alive.
The 22-year-old arrived in South Africa on Monday 6 February. A resident at a local Air B&B in Pinelands, Frischke left the premises on foot on Tuesday 14 February at around 10:00 “and never returned”, a police statement read.
Suspecting foul play, Frischke’s family opened a missing person’s case at Pinelands Police Station.
A two-week intensive integrated search operation covering first Karbonkelberg and then Sentinel Peak in Hout Bay – the area where he is suspected to have gone missing – followed.
Now more than two months after his disappearance, the hope of finding the young man alive seems more unlikely by the day.
Last month, his family offered R20 000 to anyone with information on where Frischke could be found.
Herman Bosman, Head of kidnapping, hostage survival and extortion consulting and training at TSU International – a security and protection services company, says they have received a few calls but, obviously, nothing that has led to Frischke being found. The company was commissioned by his family a few days after he went missing.
Bosman says they would like to make it clear that the offering a reward is a family initiative.
“This is not a way to find the crooks, we are just interested in getting closure for the family, to find Nick. Obviously, we don’t want to hamper the police investigation, but this reward is not an extension of the police. We are representing the family’s personal interests here,” says Bosman, emphasising that the identity of anyone providing information will be protected.
He says that they hope to have more people reaching out to them.
“There must be people who know much more. It is a matter of trusting and coming forward. The information will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. You won’t have to give your full details, we will make sure that you will be receiving the reward after we have satisfied ourselves that we have found Nick,” he says.
You only have to type in “missing German tourist” in the Google search engine to be bombarded by theories and presumed facts as to what happened to Frischke on the day of his disappearance.
Bosman, whose staff formed part of the integrated search, says the exact details of surrounding Frischke’s movements prior to his disappearance are known to them. However, he says, to not hamper the legal proceedings, they will only comment on information once it has been presented in court.
“We know exactly where he walked and where he was last seen, but should the suspects read this in a newspaper, that might also give them an indication of what we have and what we know.”
Bosman confirms that there is CCTV footage of Frischke on the day that he is presumed to have gone missing.
“Again, we do not want to publish the details, we want to see if what they (the suspects) say fits in with what we know.”
He says media reports of Frischke having used a hiking app to find his way on the Sentinel trail are also accurate.
“He was making use of an app. He was not being irresponsible, he was just not expecting the lawlessness and inhumanness. This is not something you would expect in a normal civilised environment. Even being robbed, you don’t expect to disappear afterwards. He just wasn’t informed well enough.”
According to Bosman, the criminals have done South Africa, particularly the Western Cape, a terrible disservice.
“Thousands of people hike on the mountain and nothing happens to them, but then you have one incident like this and it is put forward as a trend in international media; one case that is making it look very, very bad.”
As the police investigation continues, people from across the world, and here in South Africa, have taken to social media, theorising what happened to Frischke following the mugging. One scenario even suggested human trafficking. Bosman says they have found no evidence to support this.
“There is no indication that human trafficking is part of this.”
He says Frischke’s family remains hopeful.
“It has been painful for me and my colleagues working on this case. We all have children. Our primary focus right now is finding Nick to bring closure to his family. In cases where people go missing, be it for whatever reason, it is very painful for the family, the parents, and us dealing with it. It becomes very personal when you try to find someone.”
To share information on Frischke’s last-known whereabouts, WhatsApp or call TSU International on 066 022 6944. All information will be treated as confidential.
