Hope carried me through long ordeal, says freed captive McGown’s wife
HOPE carried Catherine McGown through a nearly six- year ordeal. Her husband, South African Stephen McGown, was held captive by al-Qaeda in Mali and released recently.
“It’s been a very long time and I’m just so pleased that this day has come. It is unfortunate that Steve’s mom isn’t here. We spoke about hope. It is a funny thing. You are hopeful and then you get bad news. You are despondent, but yet you still have hope…
“You get back on track again, believing that he is going to get back home, but then he doesn’t. And you still keep believing,” she said addressing a media briefing organised by the South African government.
“It is incredible. In terms of seeing Steve again, you play all these things around in your head – how it’s going to be, what you are going to say, where it’s going to be. I’ve played out all the scenarios in my mind and this is not how it happened.”
Stephen was released on July 25, and was reunited with his family in Johannesburg on Sunday.
Catherine shared the first moment she saw her husband at their Sandton home on Sunday.
“He came out, looked at me and said ‘your hair is growing’, and I said ‘actually your hair is longer than mine now’,” said Catherine, laughing.
Stephen’s father, Malcolm McGown, said his son felt as strong as before.
“It was a big surprise when Stephen walked through the door for the first meeting (after his release), but when I gave him a hug he felt as sound and as strong as before. So he was well treated up there.
“Obviously, we are overjoyed at the miracle that happened. We can’t describe it. I guess unless you have travelled the road, you really don’t know what it’s like,” he said.
“We tried to keep my wife (Stephen’s mother) going by continually saying he is coming home, but it didn’t quite work out the way we wanted. So we have had to say to Stephen, ‘a lot of water has passed under the bridge but you are strong, you’ve got to get up and just carry on with your life and you make the best of what it is’. Every experience in life has benefits.”
Stephen’s mother, Beverly McGown, died in May.
Malcolm thanked all the organisations and individuals who had fought for Stephen’s safe release.
Prayers
“There was tremendous work done behind the scenes and the government assisted from the beginning. I really need to thank everyone for their prayers, through every race and creed. People around the world have really prayed for my son,” he said.
International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said Stephen was getting all the necessary support.
State Security Minister David Mahlobo said it was a very agonising period when President Jacob Zuma delegated the ministers of state security and international relations to assist the family.
Mahlobo emphasised that the government did not, and would not, pay a ransom.
“Our foreign policy is very clear. We don’t actually get into the payment of ransoms. At the same time, through our engagement from government to government and other bodies that are there, we were able to release him without any conditions.
“There are no conditions to the family, Mr McGown can confirm. The most important thing is that through our shrewd engagement, supported by the AU and other structures, Stephen is at home, reunited with his family,” said Mahlobo.
McGown was travelling through Mali on a trans-Africa journey when he and two other tourists were abducted by gunmen in Timbuktu. A fourth tourist was shot dead. – ANA