Stephen McGown did not want to come home a 'mess'

Stephen McGown did not want to return home to South Africa a "mess" after being held hostage for six years.

"I did not want to come out an angry person. I wanted to see the best in this situation."

McGown was speaking at a media briefing at the offices of the Gift of the Givers in Johannesburg on Thursday‚ two weeks after his release.

He had been held hostage by Islamist militants in Mali since 2011.

He said bird watching and exercising had kept him going while in captivity.

McGown was abducted while seated in a restaurant in Timbuktu. He was in the country as a tourist‚ travelling by motorcycle.