Humanitarian group, Gift of the Givers Foundation, says those behind the kidnapping of South African photographer Shiraaz Mohamed have now demanded a ransom.
Mohamed was kidnapped in Syria two years ago after being accused of being a foreign spy.
Earlier this week, a video was released showing him alive and pleading with the organisation and President Cyril Ramaphosa to secure his release.
Mohamed was flanked by a masked man yielding an AK-47 assault rifle.
Gift of the Givers’s founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman explains: “They said the request is 1.5 million US dollars. We said that figure is quite ridiculous. We explained that Shiraaz does not belong to any corporate company that could assist in the payment of that kind of money. The family doesn’t have much means. They don’t have the money and I said the South Africa government certainly will not pay, so they need to rethink. They then told us, we need to go and think about our options and what we’re gonna do. They called back and asked what would you like to do? So we said you price is too high. They said the price is negotiable, think about it and get back to us,” explains Dr Imitiaz Sooliman.
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