Crowdfunding plea for family of SA man kidnapped in Burkino Faso

Desperate to keep their lives afloat, the Bothma family has started a crowdfunding campaign as they try to establish if their abducted husband and father is alive or dead.

Christo Bothma, 54, was abducted in Burkino Faso in 2018. Last month his wife Amanda received news that he had since died - but it is news she has refused to believe until she has seen the body.

Since the abduction, the family has been under intense financial pressure. They are hoping to raise as much as R600,000. By 3.30pm on Thursday, just over R20,000 had been raised.

On the BackaBuddy campaign page, Amanda describes what happened on September 23 last year.

"I got a phone call that Chris ... had been abducted by one of the Al Qaeda terrorist groups and their car was found 40km from the Mali border. We were traumatised by the news and were left with so many unanswered questions. All we wanted was for Christo to come home," Amanda wrote.

Christo and Amanda have three children.

Christo worked as mineworker in the West African country.

In November 2018 Amanda received news that her husband had been released. This however, turned out not to be true.

"When we heard that Christo had been released we were all ecstatic that it was over and that Chris was coming home. We were once again devastated to hear three days later that it was all 'fake news'," Amanda said.

She then reached out to the Gift of the Givers for help.

"Just after a team was sent to look for Christo, the kidnappers made contact demanding a hefty sum of money," Amanda said.

Following failed attempts at negotiation, Amanda received news that Bothma had died.

"On July 1, I  received the news that Chris had passed away on June 19, but it wasn't confirmed. Dr [Imtiaz] Sooliman of Gift of the Givers later made contact with two of his intermediaries who confirmed that Christo had passed.

"Until I see my husband’s body, I won’t believe that he is gone. I believe in my heart that he is still alive. Now it’s a waiting game to see if Chris has really passed, and if so, we need to find where he was buried and to bring him home to rest," Amanda said.

To support the Bothma family through their ordeal and to help them in covering their living expenses, a family friend, Retha Kelly, created the BackaBuddy campaign.

"Without Christo, the family is unable to cover the costs of the house bond, let alone food, electricity and other bare necessities. Which is why we started a campaign on BackaBuddy for anyone wanting to lend their support," Kelly said.

A fund-raising concert has also been arranged for Saturday, October 5, in Potchefstroom.

"The funds I'm trying to raise are to pay for our house so that the bank doesn't take it back. If Chris is really gone I don't want to lose the one thing that we have; the memories we have in this house," said Amanda.