Shereen van Deventer (Facebook)
The family of a South African held hostage by jihadists for more than six years on Monday thanked Algerian authorities for their role in freeing him.
Gerco van Deventer, 48, was set free on the Mali-Algeria border on December 17. He was abducted in Libya in November 2017 and later handed over to jihadists in Mali.
In their first comment since the emergency paramedic was set free, the Deventer family said in a statement they "wanted to express our sincere gratitude to the Algerian government in securing Gerco's release".
No detail was given on Algeria's role but the family also thanked South Africa's State Security Agency and non-government groups that had also acted as intermediaries.
Van Deventer, one of the longest-held hostages in Africa, was treated for a while in a hospital in Algiers after his release. The family said he has now returned to South Africa.
"The immediate family has spent the last few days reconnecting. Gerco has been receiving the necessary medical support and is in good health and spirits," the statement said.
The Deventer family said a news conference would be held in the coming weeks but requested the "necessary space and privacy to allow us to heal".
Van Deventer, who had been working for a security company, was seized with three Turkish engineers, all of whom were freed in 2018.
