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At least 10 South Africans have been detained in China.
According to the humanitarian group, Gift of the Givers, the trip was supposed to be a tour to explore ancient China.
Spokesperson, Dr Imtiaaz Sooliman, says the group was detained on Friday at Erdos Airport in Inner Mongolia.
In a statement he says no reasons were given.
The Chinese have now agreed to release 11 out of the 20 but they will remain in detention without being charged until flights can be found for them out of China.
The Department of International Relations says it is working with local authorities to establish the facts.
