WATCH | Video plea for help from South African hostage held for five years in Mali

Gerco van Deventer hopes his video released to the Gift of the Givers on Wednesday evening will lead to his release.  

The South African paramedic pleaded for help in a one-minute, 59-second video recorded in March, saying he missed and longed for freedom.

TimesLIVE Premium reported that Van Deventer was captured five-and-a-half years ago in Libya by a splinter group of Al-Qaeda before being “sold off” to captors in Mali. 

“During my captivity, I was shot in my left arm and now have limited movement due to misaligned bones. A glimmer of hope came when I heard about the new South African embassy in Algeria. It awoke me, pushed me to do something and build a bridge to reach the world outside,” he said in the video.

He added that the video was his last hope for being released.

Van Deventer said he had received no information about his family.

“Before I was kidnapped, I was happily married with three children. I do not know what is their current situation and [state of] wellbeing. So I hope this video will activate any action that will lead to my release because the thing that I miss the most and long for is what they took from me — my freedom,” he said.  

A negotiator from Gift of the Givers, Mohamed Yehia Dicko, arrived in Bamako, Mali, late on Sunday evening to pursue the case. On Monday he contacted one of the intermediaries involved in the release of South African Stephen McGown and Swede Johan Gustafsson in June/July 2017. McGown and Gustafsson were two of the “Timbuktu Three” who were abducted with Dutchman Sjaak Rijke in November 2011.

“This intermediary is currently out of Mali and will return next weekend. He has asked Yehia to wait for him,” said Gift of Givers head Imtiaz Sooliman. 

Sooliman said on Tuesday their negotiator met another group of intermediaries who have been keeping them updated on Van Deventer since 2019.  

“They sent us a video on January 4 2023 on Gerco's request for assistance. Yehia is considering visiting the north of Mali, where most hostages have been held. Decisions change by the hour in hostage negotiations,” he said.  

He added that after the meeting with the intermediaries on Tuesday evening, they sent them the latest video late Wednesday evening.  

“They have confirmed that the two videos made by Shereen van Deventer [Gerco's wife] and her son have reached the captors,” he said.  

Sooliman said though the video was recorded in March, they received it only on Wednesday since they had connected with intermediaries on Tuesday night.  

“We have not been in communication with them since 2019. In January 2023, they sent us a video, but we didn't take the discussion forward as we had nothing to offer,” he said.  

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