A team of private investigators on Thursday launched a wide-scale search operation for a Chilean national they believe is missing in rural KwaZulu-Natal.

Slavko Yaksic‚ known as “Kaka”‚ was last seen between Dundee and Underberg on September 24.

His family in Chile raised the alarm when Besoain missed his return flight to the South American country on Wednesday.

Wrought with concern‚ his family commissioned IRS Investigations’ Chad Thomas to search for the missing backpacker.

Yaksic's uncle‚ Paul Quiroz‚ said that the 29-year-old and his girlfriend had arrived in South Africa for a holiday in August.

“She needed to get back to work on August 10. He had extra time so he decided to backpack around South Africa‚” Quiroz told TimesLIVE.

“He was supposed to return to Chile yesterday (Wednesday) but he didn’t show up at the airport and consequently didn’t board the plane. That is when the alarm bells started ringing‚” he said.

Quiroz said they had tried to trace Yaksic's movements‚ with their only leads placing him in central KZN.

“From what we have heard he was last seen in September at a Christian camp‚ and that is the last we know of him‚” he said.

“We are doing our best to stay calm. His mother and sister are having the roughest time and his father is getting on a plane on the earliest flight to come and help with the search‚” he added.

Thomas said members of their team were already in KZN and would soon begin the search in earnest.