The child has been missing since Friday, after she was apparently last seen with friends at a shop.

Police spokesperson, Nelis Prins, says divers searched a local canal, while camera footage from the shop in question did not yield any leads.

Five-year-old Sharné Basson is the second child to disappear in the ZF Mgcawu region after five-year-old Lee Virno van Wyk went missing at Lousivale in May this year.

Prince says they are continuing the search for Sharné today, while Provincial Commissioner Koliswa Otola has asked that residents should under no circumstances leave their children unattended.

She says communities must take ownership of their children and not allow them to play in dangerous places or be threatened by criminal elements.

OFM News/Roderick Titus