Dirco to help foursome held in Saudi
Dirco is working with Saudi officials concerning the incarceration of four South Africans.
|||Pretoria - The Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) is working with Saudi officials concerning the incarceration of four South Africans.
“The South African government is liaising with Saudi authorities through diplomatic channels to ascertain the nature of the charges that the four South African citizens are facing,” Dirco spokesman Nelson Kgwete said.
The four South African citizens have been languishing in a Saudi jail for more than a month.
They were apparently in South Africa on holiday before returning to Saudi Arabia where two work and the other two are students.
The family of the four siblings made an appeal to President Jacob Zuma to help them get the four returned to South Africa. Presidency spokesman Bongani Majola referred all questions to Kgwete.
According to media reports, another relative, one who was under age and cannot be identified, tried to flee the country to join the Islamic State (IS) but was stopped by family members at the airport in Port Elizabeth. The four are said to belong to a prominent Muslim family in Port Elizabeth.
Nazir Desai, the father, said his children had been detained without being charged and he did not know why they were initially arrested. “We will remain seized with the case and provide consular support to the affected South African citizens,” Kgwete said.
nomaswazi.nkosi@inl.co.za
Pretoria News
* Use IOL’s Facebook and Twitter pages to comment on our stories. See links below.