Pretoria - The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) says it is not giving up on efforts to secure the release of the two South Africans held captive in Yemen.
Amid fresh media reports that the two are held by al-Qaeda, Dirco said South Africa’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia was still in daily meetings with Yemeni authorities to negotiate their realise.
The department said it was in touch with a law enforcement unit in Yemen, and that there has not been information to the effect that the two citizens were kidnapped by representatives of a certain organisation.
The pair, identified as Pierre and Yolande Korkie, were kidnapped in Yemen's central province of Taiz two weeks ago by unknown gunmen in front of a hotel in the town of Howban, about 250km south of the capital Sanaa.
They are said to be involved in the development of the hotel, and were reportedly involved in a dispute between developers and the landlord shortly before the abduction.
Five people have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping, although the whereabouts of the pair are still unknown.
Dirco said it was doing everything it could to provide consular services to the family, who they inform about the progress on regular basis. - SAnews.gov.za
