It has been more than 150 days since South African photojournalist Shiraaz Mohamed was kidnapped in Syria and information on his whereabouts remains scant.
His former wife, Shirley Govender, who travelled to Syria in February to try to find out more about his disappearance, said it had been a trying time, especially with so little information being available.
“That has added to all the trauma of his disappearance, (as there are) so many unanswered questions.”
Mohamed was kidnapped by gunmen with two aid workers while travelling to the Turkish border on January 10. They were later released, while Mohamed was reportedly held to be questioned about a misunderstanding.
He had travelled to Syria with the humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers.
Govender said she was staying positive and had mobilised media colleagues from around the world to try to gain attention for Mohamed’s plight, with the added hope that the news would reach him and/or his captors.
“We need to exhaust every possible avenue and follow-up on any bit of information.”
Speaking about her trip to Syria, Govender said: “We were surrounded by soldiers and everywhere we went, people were watching us. It was chilling. It was scary to imagine Shiraaz in captivity, alone We want him to know that we are looking for him, we have not forgotten him."
Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman yesterday said they were not speaking about Mohamed at the moment, as relevant information was very sensitive. However, they were still working to have him released.
The Mohamed family thanked Gift of the Givers “for their continued efforts and support".
Mohamed’s sister Sumaya said: “This is an especially difficult time for us, not having our brother with us during this blessed month of
Ramadan.
"Most evenings, we break our fast in tears but always with prayer, hope and faith that the Almighty will help our brother through this and return him home to us, safe and soon.
‘‘We ask that everyone please continue to pray for our brother, especially during this blessed month,” she said.
According to non-governmental organisation the Committee to Protect Journalists, more than 100 journalists have been kidnapped in the war-torn country since 2011.
According to their website: “Cases of journalists missing in conflict zones or in areas under the control of militant groups, such as in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen, are extremely difficult to track.
"Information is scarce, the situation is constantly changing and some cases go unreported.”