Pretoria - Family members of three South Africans arrested in China – for allegedly watching propaganda videos in their hotel – are worried about their relatives who were not part of the 11 detainees released on Wednesday.
Vodacom chief executive Shameel Joosub said: “My family and I are deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of my brother, aunt and uncle.”
Along with 17 other South African, British and Indian citizens, they were detained on July 10 by the Chinese authorities at the airport in Erdos, inner Mongolia, and held without charge. “The family is distressed by this whole situation.”
Reports that the 11 would be deported and the nine “criminally detained” – a term meaning the suspects have likely been charged and could be prosecuted – could not be confirmed.
Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman said on Wednesday that after intervention by the South African and British governments, there had been some movement regarding 11 of the 20 detained individuals.
International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said the South African government initiated high-level interventions to secure the release of its citizens detained in China. “Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa who is in China has taken the opportunity of his presence there to also raise this matter. We will remain seized with the matter. I want to confirm that the matter has been raised at the highest level possible,” Nkoana-Mashabane told a media briefing in Pretoria on Wednesday.
The South Africans were part of a tour group detained by Chinese authorities last week, reportedly on suspicion of being associated with a terror group or banned organisation.
On Tuesday, the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) confirmed that a group of South Africans were arrested in the People’s Republic of China.
Dirco spokesman Nelson Kgwete said the South African government was notified on Sunday about the arrests. His comment followed a Gift of the Givers statement on Tuesday that 10 South Africans, nine Britons, and one Indian had been arrested, after a tour of ancient China.
“The family of the South African group are considering appointing a Chinese human rights’ lawyer,” Sooliman said. “Information received from China is very disconcerting as we were told many of the top human rights lawyers have been arrested by the Chinese government.”
“No charges have been put to the group but the Chinese have been very vague, saying that someone in the group has some links to a suspected terror group and someone has some links to a banned group and the real reason for the incarceration is that someone was watching propaganda videos in the hotel.
“It was agreed that 11 will be released, but would be held in detention until flights have been finalised for them out of China,” he said.
“Flights were confirmed for five South Africans for yesterday but the Chinese stalled and said they could not leave despite earlier assurances. The five South Africans are now confirmed to fly out today if the Chinese don’t stall them again, and are expected to land in South Africa tomorrow,” Sooliman added.
Earlier on Wednesday, the aid organisation called on Ramaphosa to intervene. Sooliman said it was “inconceivable” that the Chinese government was hosting the South African Government and simultaneously incarcerating 10 citizens “without charge”.
“The Chinese must be told in no uncertain terms to provide evidence and proof if the South Africans have terror links, charge them and take them to trial; alternatively, they must release them immediately and unconditionally,” he said.
“The conditions in the detention centre, apparently, are not good. Family members are extremely worried and want finality on the issue.”
Nkoana-Mashabane confirmed the aid organisation’s statement that five of the 10 South Africans initially detained were now awaiting a flight back to Pretoria.
The group was on a 47-day historical tour of the country when they were detained at an airport in the Inner Mongolian city of Erdos.
The tour operator received no word from Chinese authorities and sought them out two days later, Sooliman said, when he had not heard from the group and realised something was “horribly wrong”.
Pretoria News and ANA