Search is on for missing woman

Cape Town police are desperately searching for a woman who went missing on Table Mountain on Human Rights Day.

The woman, Charlotte Nikoi, is an associate director of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

At the time of her disappearance, around 1pm on Tuesday March 21, she had been walking down the lower slopes of Table Mountain.

According to Sergeant Ralph Isaacs of the Cape Town Central police station, she was wearing a blue hat with a wide rim, a sleeveless black top, light blue (Bermuda) shorts and light brown sneakers.

She had a cream, black and brown cardigan tied around her waist and was carrying a small, brown, white and cream bag. She was wearing oval-shaped sunglasses.

Police said that Ms Nikoi is 50 years old, and 1.73 metres tall. She has short black and grey hair, has a dark complexion and is of medium build.

“Charlotte Nikoi – a Ghanaian national known to family and friends as Nana Yaa – was on the Platteklip Gorge trail on Table Mountain. It was a bright sunny day and many hikers were walking along the trail at the time,” said Sergeant Isaacs.

Provincial police spokesman Captain FC Van Wyk said they had followed up on all the information they had but didn’t have any leads yet.

He said tracking Ms Nikoi’s phone, which she had on her at the time, formed part of the investigation.

Her colleague Claudia Altorio, who works for the United Nations World Food Programme, said Ms Nikoi’s family was still in Cape Town co-operating with the local police. “She was hiking with her family at the time but was descending the mountain alone when she disappeared.”

Ms Altorio said when her family got to the bottom of the mountain, they realised she had disappeared. “We are desperately looking for any information.

“It was a very busy day with lots of people on the mountain. If you remember any interaction with her or noticed something unusual, please get in contact with the police.”

Ms Altorio appealed to anyone with information to contact Sergeant Isaacs on 072 954 8971.

At the time of going to print on Tuesday March 28, Ms Nikoi was still missing.