- A missing matric pupil from Moorreesburg has been found.
- His mother had sent an emotional public plea for assistance after he was last seen at midday on 24 March in his school uniform on the school grounds.
- The police said he returned voluntarily to the school on Thursday afternoon.
Missing matric pupil Emiel Smit is safe and back home, Western Cape police said on Thursday.
The police added Smit "returned voluntarily unharmed to his school today [Thursday] at 17:15. He is reunited with his family".
"We are all very pleased," said Nelius Van Santen, chairperson of the School Governing Body.
He said he would speak to the family later on Friday for an update and more information on the circumstances behind his disappearance were not immediately available.
Smit, 18, from Moorreesburg, disappeared from the Boland Agricultural High School in Paarl on 24 March while still dressed in his school uniform.
In a desperate attempt to find her missing son, Nettie Smit sent a video clip on Facebook, describing her son as a "glass ball" she would never drop and begging him to return.
"Emiel my child, if you're listening, I hope you are, you are one of my glass balls and I will never let you fall. You are incredibly special, please come home."
The distraught mom expressed her gratitude to the many people who had reached out to the family during this difficult time.
"We are hoping for a miracle," she said at the time.