A DA deputy North West leader, Patro Nel, has been reported missing. A councillor in the Matlosana municipality for the past 15 years, Patro left last week for a trip to Nepal and Tibet – a holiday that she has been preparing for for four years.

Yesterday morning, Patro hired a light aircraft from the town of Pokharato to fly over the Himalayas. Only herself and a Russian pilot, air traffic control lost contact with the airplane and it failed to arrive back on time.

We’ve been informed this morning that the flight that she was out for sightseeing has not returned at the scheduled time and they suspect that she was in the plane and they actually also have undergone an investigation with two helicopters.

Patro’s family and friends are staying strong. Her husband, JC Nel, is anxiously waiting for any news.

I’m sitting here and every time the phone rings I get a cold shiver. There is still hope and that is what I am counting on, that a phone call will say they are okay and have been found.

[source: timeslive&ewn&enca&iol]