50 days and counting: Where is 2-year-old Milano Tlali?
· Citizen
Two-year-old Milano Tlali has now been missing for 50 days since he vanished from outside his family’s block of flats in Glenesk, Johannesburg South.
The toddler’s disappearance sparked a wave of public appeals, conflicting accounts from his parents and a formal complaint against police over the handling of the case.
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How Milano went missing
Milano disappeared on 30 June while playing with other children outside the flats where he lived with his parents, Monique and Teboho Tlali, near Glenesk Welfare Park and Wemmer Pan.
Emergency teams searched the Wemmer Pan in the hours after the toddler went missing.
According to Cecil Haynie, this was based on where children said Milano was last seen. Haynie documents the case and advocates for causes like Milano’s through the ‘Justadvocacy’ social media page.
Community members have questioned how a two-year-old could have reached the dam unaided, deepening the mystery around his disappearance.
Parents accounts of Milano’s disappearance
The Tlalis have offered their versions of what happened that day.
Both parents agree they were sitting outside watching Milano when the father went inside to fix appliances, and the mother followed roughly 30 minutes later to wash dishes before going out to check on him.
Their accounts diverge from there, with the mother saying she checked on him once during that half-hour before the fatal second check.
Milano’s father has denied any involvement in his disappearance. He said there was no reason for anyone to take their child, emphasising that the family did not have money.
“I haven’t been in a fight with anyone that would be so bad that they had to take my son,” Teboho Tlali reportedly said.
A family under strain
Haynie described the couple’s demeanour during livestreamed appearances, while noting troubling reports from the community.
“Community members have been reporting of instances of violence where the mother was beaten and alcohol use,” Haynie said.
Two organisations, Hope of People and MTR Responders, have stepped in to support the family by handing out posters, delivering food parcels and assisting with the initial search.
The toll on the family has been visible in public statements from Milano’s mother, cited by eNCA.
“I just want my son back. I don’t know how to feel anymore,” she said.
Investigation and the leaked voice note
A private investigator, Wendy Pascoe, has since joined the search.
Haynie confirmed that circulating voice notes and alleged ransom messages linked to the case are genuine, and said the leak should have consequences.
“I feel the person who decided to leak that voice note should be arrested,” Haynie said.
Police have said only that the matter remains under investigation, offering little detail on its progress.
Cutting through online speculation
With the case drawing comparisons to other high-profile child disappearances, Haynie said the differing parental accounts have fuelled public speculation, but defended people’s right to question the family.
“You can’t blame the public for asking the tough questions,” he said.
He added that his TikTok livestreams are meant to keep attention on the case rather than entertain rumours, ensuring people continue talking about a missing two-year-old.
Councillor demands answers from police
Separately, Eldoradopark ward councillor Juwairiya Kaldine has written to the station commander at the South African Police Service (Saps) in Moffatview, describing 43 days without resolution and demanding a full written account of the investigation.
Her letter calls for the investigating officer to be named and for evidence such as CCTV footage and phone records to be preserved.
“The family should not have to plead for urgency,” Kaldine wrote.
She argued that transparency would serve police as much as the family.
“Accountability strengthens policing because it allows shortcomings to be identified and corrected,” she wrote.
What happens now
Haynie said the priority remains getting the parents back in for questioning and formally clearing or implicating them.
Anyone with information has been urged to contact Captain Mpiko at JHB Central FCS on 082 370 7654.
“Someone must’ve seen something,” Haynie said, appealing to the public to keep sharing Milano’s story so the case does not fade from memory.