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The humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers said its hostage negotiator has arrived in Mali to try and help secure the release of South African national Gerco van Deventer.
Van Deventer, who is from Swellendam, was taken hostage in 2017, while on his way to the Awbari power plant in Libya where he worked as an on-site emergency medical practitioner.
According to earlier reports, a video of Van Deventer was released last month in which he reportedly said that he was the only South African being held by al-Qaeda in Mali after he was sold to them eight months after being kidnapped.
Gift of the Givers founder, Dr Imtiaaz Sooliman, says Covid-19 stymied ongoing negotiations with the kidnappers, who had demanded a $3 million dollar ransom.
"We managed to bring that down to $500 000, but of course, we don't pay the ransom. It's up to the company he works for or his family to arrange if that is possible. But, we always try to get a hostage out without paying any money," he said.
Sooliman said that they received a video in January this year in which Gerco was pleading for somebody to speak to the South African government to assist him to secure his release as this was his last chance.
Meanwhile, Dr Sooliman said that a French national who was also being held hostage was released.
He said that the French national who was recently released said he was in captivity with Van Deventer, who was urgently seeking help.
"Gift of the Givers has retaken on the case. We have a made video by the wife and son which was passed on to intermediaries to then pass on to the captors. Our negotiator, Mohamed Yahya Dicko, arrived in Mali to pursue this case," Sooliman said.
"We hope in this month of Ramadaan, the captors will show some sympathy and have mercy and release Gerco unconditionally, without any ransom because there is no way his family or anyone else can afford kind of money," he concluded.
Gift of the Givers had previously assisted in several other hostage negotiations, including helping secure the release of Stephen McGown, who is considered to have been al-Qeda's longest-held prisoner.
