Solution in the works for SA detainees

One of the citizens arrested is an Umkhonto we Sizwe veteran

THE government has initiated highlevel interventions to secure the release of South Africans detained in China, Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said yesterday.

“Our officials did confirm that there are 10 South Africans that were caught or found in (the) inner Mongolia region of China. Half of them are waiting for the next flight back home.

“The remainder are still in China, and consultations continue with the authorities in China for their release,” she told the media at a briefing in Pretoria.

“We can confirm that Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is in China, not on a state visit, but an official visit to China, has taken the opportunity of his presence there to also raise this matter.

Ramaphosa arrived in Beijing on Monday to discuss issues of trade relations and investment. “Yes, we have known that there are a number of South Africans as well as people from other nations who were arrested, Ramaphosa said yesterday after a media briefing in Beijing.

“We are hoping that there will be a solution as time goes on. We think it is best to leave it at that level because the Chinese officials as well as our department are dealing with the matter actively on an hour-by-hour basis.’’

The South Africans were part of a tour group detained by the Chinese authorities last week, reportedly on suspicion of being associated with a terror group or banned organisation.

Aid organisation Gift of the Givers said one of the arrested South Africans was a veteran of Umkhonto we Sizwe, and three are related to local businessman Shameel Joosub.

The statement indicated that 20 people – consisting of 10 South Africans, nine Britons and one Indian – were arrested in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, without charge.

Asked whether it had been ascertained what the China mission was, Nkoana-Mashabane said: “Are they really, really on holiday? The last time I checked, they were above 18, so, following democratic principles of South Africa, I don’t know what kind of a holiday they were on.

“I am sure that is an interaction that is taking place confidentially between our consular services and their respective families. I pray that we respect that.”

She did not respond to questions on whether the detention had put a dent in relations between Pretoria and Beijing.