The Department of International Relations and Co-operation said yesterday the South African embassy in Tripoli, Libya, was liaising with that country’s authorities to free a South African among four people kidnapped on Friday.
“The kidnapping of the South African male citizen has been confirmed. A South African citizen based in Libya called the department on Friday to report that a fellow South African has been kidnapped in the southern desert city of Ubari, Libya, along with two Turkish nationals,” said spokesperson Nelson Kgwete.
A Libyan state electricity official said four foreigners working for the Turkish construction firm Enka were kidnapped.
The men were seized while travelling from the airport in the town of Ubari to a power plant they were helping to build, the official said, asking not to be named. There was no immediate indication who had abducted them.
Kgwete said the kidnapped South African worked as a paramedic in Libya.
His name was not released.
“Our embassy is liaising with Libyan authorities and will attempt to get the hostages freed unharmed as soon as possible,” he added.
On its website Enka referred to three Turkish citizens being kidnapped.
“Around midday today (Friday) in Libya three of our citizens, two of them our personnel who were temporarily working in the country, were kidnapped by unidentified people while they were travelling outside the building site,” it said.
“Our company is following the subject closely, (we are in) contact with Turkish and Libyan authorities,” it added.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the abduction. Kidnapping is rife in Libya, in turmoil since an uprising unseated Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Work at the Ubari plant has been ongoing.