South African hostage in Somalia still alive

A South African couple taken hostage by pirates in Somalia for 19 months ago have been confirmed to be alive. The families of Bruno Pelizzari and Debbie Calitz have sent a set of questions that only they would be able to answer.

Vera Hecht, the sister of Bruno Pelizzari, said, “That’s all we know: they’re alive, but we don’t know what condition they’re in, or where they’re being held,”

However, the couple, which were taken hostage on October 26 2010 on a yacht in the Mozambique channel, has been transferred between different groups.

“The bad news is that the man with whom we’ve negotiated up until now has been replaced, with a more radical negotiator. He turned down our last ransom offer,” Hecht said.

Source: Mail & Guardian