South African journalist Oliver Meth, who received online death treats last year, has been missing since 8 April and his family has appealed to anyone who might know his whereabouts to come forward.
According to a missing person’s report filed at the Florida police station, Meth was last seen on Wednesday last week at about 11:45 when he left Horison on the West Rand for the Bree Street taxi rank in Johannesburg to get another taxi to Parkview, where he lives.
The 34-year-old has written for publications such as Daily Maverick, Sunday Tribune and Daily Vox.
He also worked as an independent media consultant on the CR17 campaign in which President Cyril Ramaphosa was elected head of the governing ANC – a role he fully disclosed, but which subjected him to heavy criticism and death threats on Twitter.
Meth said accusations that he was a “paid journalist” were incorrect and based on slander.
“I’d like to place on record, that I worked as a media consultant on the campaign and was paid for services rendered, as a freelancer,” Meth tweeted at the time.
In another tweet, he stated: “I was not a practising journalist at [the] time, but a full-time postgraduate student that took on various consultancy work. These attacked (sic) and allegations are unfounded.”
Meth is about 1.5m tall, has brown eyes and was wearing light blue denim jeans, black sneakers and a multi-coloured jersey sporting the words “Kasie Certified”. He has a scar across the bridge of his nose and an indented cut-like scar on his outer right hand.
Provincial police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele confirmed that Meth’s disappearance was under investigation.
Anyone who has information about Meth’s whereabouts should contact the Florida police station on 011 831 7000.
This is a developing story.
