Have you seen him? R50k reward for missing Durban pilot
· The South African
The family of missing former Durban helicopter pilot Slade Thomas is offering R50 000 for information leading to his safe return.
Thomas reportedly suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and disappeared during a walk from his home in Umgeni.
Visit afsport.lat for more information.
R50 000 REWARDS FOR MISSING DURBAN HELICOPTER PILOT
On the community page Pete’s Post, the family of Slade Thomas shared that he had gone missing from near his Durban home.
The post read: “Slade Thomas, a much-loved former aviator who served his country with honour, now has Alzheimer’s and has gone walkabout from his home in Hunters Way, Umgeni Park (By the Spar centre).
A missing person’s report has been opened at the Greenwood Park police station and
The family has since enlisted the help of private investigator Brad Nathanson and offered a R50 000 reward for information leading to his safe return.
Missing Persons South Africa has circulated his picture.
Slade Thomas is the former CEO of Durban’s Starlite Aviation Group and was involved in the 1991 rescue of the MTS Oceanos cruise ship that sank near Coffee Bay. He was awarded the Air Force Cross for his role in the operation.
Thomas was a helicopter pilot in the South African Air Force (SAAF), including with 15 Squadron, and flew extensively in military operations. According to reports, he ultimately accumulated more than 6,700 hours of helicopter flying time.
WARNINGS AGAINST AI PICTURE USE
According to Brad Nathanson, they have been inundated with AI-generated images of Slade Thomas seen around Durban from individuals hoping to cash in on the R50 000 reward.
Nathanson shared in a Facebook post: “A photograph generated or manipulated by AI proves absolutely nothing about where a missing person is, whether he is alive, or whether somebody has actually seen him.
“There is a family sitting at home who are already devastated by the disappearance of someone they love. Imagine seeing what appears to be a photograph of your missing father, husband, brother or friend and, for one horrible moment, believing that he has been found, only to discover that some idiot has fabricated the image. That isn’t funny. It isn’t clever. And it certainly isn’t helping.
“Unfortunately, some people will deliberately manufacture information because they see a R50,000.00 reward and think they can exploit a desperate family. The family is emotionally invested. They should be. They are looking for someone they love.
“Slade is still missing! Let’s keep our eyes open, our heads clear and, above all, let’s not make an already devastated family’s nightmare any worse. See less”.