INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

Debbie Calitz and Bruno Pelizzari were abducted by pirates in October 2010. Photo: Handout/Supplied

One year, three months and 13 days. That is how long Bruno Pelizzari and Debbie Calitz have been held hostage by Somali pirates since the Durban couple were kidnapped in October 2010 while sailing to Richards Bay to see their first grandchild.

Their small yacht was attacked by 12 armed men and redirected to Baraawe, Somalia. Fifteen months later, they are being held for a ransom of $4 million (R31m).

The last contact they had with their family was in September, when their captors allowed Pelizzari to call his sister, Vera Hecht. She was given just three minutes to confirm the couple were still alive.

Their discussion lingered on whether the couple were healthy and being fed. Calitz told Hecht that rice and soup was their staple diet.

For Hecht and Calitz’s daughter, Kerri-Ann Cross, coming up with the huge sum of money felt like an impossible task – as the Department of International Relations had told them that it was strict policy not to pay ransom for kidnap victims.

But for the past three months, an internet and SMS campaign to raise the huge amount has been met with great support. In just a few months, sosbrunodebbie.co.za has managed to raise more than R200 000.

“We are so grateful. For us as South Africans it seems like a huge amount. But to (the kidnappers) it’s peanuts,” said Cross.

“We don’t expect to get the full amount. But we want to be able to offer something so we can start negotiations.” With no further assistance from the government, they’ve called on the public to help them.

Anyone wishing to donate can visit sosbrunodebbie.co.za for further details, or can directly donate R10 by SMSing the letters SOS to 38417. - The Star