‘Our last resort’: Kidnapped journalist’s family pleads with Ramaphosa for help

The family of kidnapped South African photojournalist Shiraaz Mohamed camped at the gate of Hitekani Primary School, Soweto, on Wednesday morning with in the hope of being granted an audience with President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa cast his vote at the school on Wednesday morning.

“I am here today to try and see my president, I am here today as a parent. We have been living a total nightmare without Shiraaz, that’s why we came here to call on our president to intervene,” said the kidnapped journalist’s emotional mother Shireen Mohamed.

Mohamed was abducted in Syria on April 10 2017 while on assignment.

“Please help me bring back my son,” said Mohamed, who consistently broke down as she tried to talk about her son.

She said that since the recently published proof-of-life video confirmed that Mohamed was alive “it had become even more difficult to continue living” without her son.

“We cannot take it anymore. It’s been two and a half years. He is a son of the soil; he is a South African. Please Mr President help us bring back our son,” pleaded Mohamed.

The proof-of-life video, released by his captors in April this year, was followed up with a ransom demand of $1.5 million (about R21.5 million) to secure his release.

Non-governmental organisation The Gift of the Givers has been negotiating for his release.

The kidnapped journalist’s family assembled a shrine with placards.

They also brought chairs and sat at the entrance to the school, saying they wouldn’t leave until the president had addressed them.

His ex-wife, Shirley Brijlal, said: “This is our last resort. We have tried everything, from sending a letter to the presidency, the Hawks and all sorts of government departments without success.

“We only received an acknowledgement of receipt of the letter we sent to the presidency but have not received any word after that.”

Shiraaz MohamedFoto: Argief

Brijlal also criticised the media for not giving the kidnapping enough coverage.

“He is your colleague and did what you do on a daily basis but when he was kidnapped the media never gave the matter the coverage it deserved.”

Their persistence paid off and they were able to get the audience of the president when he finally came to cast his vote at the school.

They handed him a two-page letter in which the mother informed Ramaphosa that in two weeks’ time it would be her son’s birthday, “his third in captivity”.

“Mr President, you may have seen the recent video that has been in circulation over the weekend. My son Shiraaz makes a direct plea to you in that video to please intervene to get him back home,” read the letter.

Ramaphosa said, after receiving the letter, that he “would give it the necessary attention”.

“Sir [Ramaphosa], with Mother’s Day also approaching, please help me to be with my son again. Please, president. All I ask is for my president to help get my son back home and back with his family,” were Mohamed’s last words to South Africa’s head of state.

	Juniour Khumalo Journalist City Press p: +27 (0) 11 713 9001 w: www.citypress.co.za  e: juniour.khumalo@citypress.co.za
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