SABRINA DEAN – As the ransom deadline for Pierre Korkie approaches, Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman says they have not given up hope for the former Bloemfontein school teacher’s safe release, despite a breakdown in negotiations.
The NGO has been trying fruitlessly to reason with the al-Qaeda militants since securing the release of Pierre’s wife Yolande last week. Sooliman says the kidnappers have admitted they took the wrong people.
"He is South African and Africa has no problem with them, why do they have a problem with Africa, They’ve said they’ve taken the wrong people, why don’t they release them?" he asks.
"Last night I told them that we cannot rasie $3-million dollars, we’ll be lucky if we raise 3 000 dollars, that Africa is poor, that we can’t raise that kind of money whether it’s this Friday, next Friday or the next ten Friday’s," he says.
Sooliman says there is some confusion over the exact deadline. "They told us eight days and eight days is 6 o’cklock tomorrow morning… They’re telling us eight days and then they’re telling us Friday, so we don’t understand that. So what is it? Is it Friday morning, afternoon, Friday night? We don’t know and they’re not telling us anything," he says.
A fragile Yolande yesterday braved a media conference in Johannesburg to share her story and appeal to the kidnappers to set her husband free. She also sent a message to Pierre, saying he is a “hero” to her and their children.
The couple has been held hostage since being abducted in Taiz in May last year. The kidnappers, believed to be al-Qaeda linked militants, are demanding a $3-million ransom for Pierre’s safe release.
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