By Chantelle Tindall
This is the question constantly being asked by friends and family of 21-year-old Tapiwanashe Russell Masuwi popularly called Tapi. He was last seen on CCTV camera outside the Yacht Club at Swansea Marina at 7am on 7 February 2019.
Earlier that day, he went out with his friends to Fiction Night Club on Wind Street in Swansea, South Wales. The last time he was seen there was at 3.45am before being spotted on CCTV.
Missing: Tapiwanashe Russell Masuwi - Tapi
His disappearance has remained a mystery and a big devastation for his family. They have organised search parties to check any possible area of Swansea he might have been. His friends have rendered great support to make sure no stone is left unturned and they have widened their search beyond Swansea hoping that witnesses might have seen something or heard what happened to him.
His parents Munyaradzi and Nyengeterayi Zvada are originally from Zimbabwe and they continue appealing for help in finding their son. Although as time progresses, the chances of finding him alive lessens, they are still full of hope and optimism and believe that he is alive and well. His father Munyaradzi spoke of the sadness and grief that the loss of his son has brought upon his family but he was very grateful for the support given to them by Tapi's friends and volunteers within the Swansea community.
Extensive searches have also been carried out by South Wales Police. They have combed areas where he was last seen on CCTV and between those points after he left the night-club and arrived at the marina. The police have also searched the waters of the Swansea Marina but have found nothing. They are appealing for any useful information about his disappearance as none of his friends who were out with him on the night have been able to provide any useful leads.
Members of Swansea community along with Tapi's family and friends have organised different activities to help with the continuation of his search. On 7th March 2019, exactly one month after his disappearance, a vigil was held at Castle Square Swansea. It was an opportunity for the community to come together for one common goal: to find Tapi and raise more awareness.
On the 25th March, a delegation led by the President of the Niger Delta Youth Association - Comrade Victor James visited the Swansea East Assembly member Mike Hedges for his support to help in the search for Tapi. Joining the search were other organisations like The African Community Centre in Swansea led by Jill Duarte and also the Race Council Cymrru led by Mrs. Uzo Iwobi OBE.
Furthermore, a fundraiser was organised by Tapi's friend, Darlington DJLintonKing. With the help of well-meaning members of the public and volunteers, a fund raising concert was also organised on 12 April 2019. There were ticket sales and raffle draws with other activities which saw different popular Swansea artists, many of whom were Tapi's friends, perform. Members of Swansea community printed leaflets, banners, posters, t-shirts and also helped with the assistance of seeking professional help finding a missing young man. All funds raised were handed over to his family.
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On the 7 July 2019, 5 months since he disappeared, a #walkfortapi march was organised by his family. According to his father - Munyaradzi Zvada, on his Facebook page, his family is still hurting, broken, stressed and worn out with no information or leads as to their son's whereabouts. However, they will not stop the search and continuously create awareness. This is because he does not want Tapi to end up as another police missing persons statistic. He emotionally appealed for anyone with any information to come forward. Finally, he thanked all Tapi's friends, members of the Swansea community, and volunteers, for their love, support and efforts to help find his son.
Tapiwanashe is described as 5ft 11, with brown eyes, black hair with some orange on top. He was last seen wearing an orange baseball cap and red jacket. The South Wales Police have since released a CCTV trail of his last sightings and continue to support his family. The search for Tapiwanashe Russell Masuwi - Tapi as he is known, continues. Anyone with any relevant information is requested to contact the South Wales Police or Tapi's family directly.