BACK WHERE I BELONG
YOU South Africa|8 February 2024
After six years as an AI Qaeda hostage he's finally home. Now Gerco and Shereen van Deventer can start rebuilding their life together 
MEGHAN LAWRENCE
BACK WHERE I BELONG

THE male voice on the other end of the line is familiar. “Babe,” he says. She thinks it’s someone playing a prank and is about to hang up.

“It’s me, babe,” the man says again. “It’s really me.”

For six years Shereen van Deventer has longed to hear her husband Gerco’s voice. Now, here he is, talking to her, telling her that he’s survived and that he’s coming home at last.

In October 2017 he’d travelled to Libya to work as a paramedic. The country was in the midst of civil war at the time and Gerco was aware of the risks, but work is work. The couple had no idea that it was the beginning of a nightmare that would last six years.

Within days of Gerco’s arrival in Libya, Shereen got a call telling her he’d been kidnapped by militants while on his way to work at a power station deep inland. It wasn’t shock she felt when she first heard the terrible news, but rather total disbelief.

She’d just spoken to Gerco the day before and he’d said everything was fine. Before they ended the call she told him how much she loved him – and it was this love that carried her through the next six years, never wavering as she waited for the day he would return home.

Even when it emerged that he’d been sold to Al Qaeda jihadis in Mali who were holding him for ransom, she never gave up hope – and in December last year Shereen’s patience was finally rewarded.

IT’S a scorching day in Swellendam in the Western Cape when a smiling Shereen (40) comes to open the gate for us. Wearing a long black and white dress, she seems different from the woman we met a year ago (YOU, 4 May 2023). It’s as if a mountain has been lifted from her shoulders.

Esta historia es de la edición 8 February 2024 de YOU South Africa.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición 8 February 2024 de YOU South Africa.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE YOU SOUTH AFRICAVer todo
PUSHED TO THE LIMIT
YOU South Africa

PUSHED TO THE LIMIT

The unusual relationship between an heiress and her husband has taken a sinister twist

time-read
5 minutos  |
5 September 2024
HOW TO MAKE A SUPERBABY
YOU South Africa

HOW TO MAKE A SUPERBABY

Noor Siddiqui says her company can test embryos for hundreds of conditions from diabetes to Alzheimer's. Critics call it social engineering but she insists she's just giving prospective parents the means to avoid a lot of future heartache

time-read
10+ minutos  |
5 September 2024
THE GROWN-UP BRAIN
YOU South Africa

THE GROWN-UP BRAIN

If you think your brain deteriorates as you age, think again!

time-read
3 minutos  |
5 September 2024
THE eyes HAVE IT
YOU South Africa

THE eyes HAVE IT

They're the windows to our soul - and the first place to show the stresses of everyday life. Juliette Winter reveals expert tips to de-puff, brighten and smooth this delicate area

time-read
1 min  |
5 September 2024
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER
YOU South Africa

WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER

It hasn't been an easy road but now this bodybuilding couple are making waves in the industry

time-read
4 minutos  |
5 September 2024
I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!
YOU South Africa

I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!

Annetjie's about to get effective treatment for the skin condition that has blighted her life and she's looking forward to hitting the shops and facing the world

time-read
5 minutos  |
5 September 2024
'SHE NO THREAT TO ANYONE'
YOU South Africa

'SHE NO THREAT TO ANYONE'

When SA boxer Chris van Heerden's Russian girlfriend went to visit her parents she was thrown in jail and accused of treasonnow he's in a fight to free her

time-read
5 minutos  |
5 September 2024
SUNK IN 16 MINUTES!
YOU South Africa

SUNK IN 16 MINUTES!

A sun-drenched holiday turned into a living nightmare for those aboard this luxury vessel

time-read
5 minutos  |
5 September 2024
READY TO SMILE AGAIN
YOU South Africa

READY TO SMILE AGAIN

A groundbreaking surgical procedure will restore this Limpopo teen's badly damaged jaw and teeth

time-read
5 minutos  |
5 September 2024
HARRY AT A CROSSROADS
YOU South Africa

HARRY AT A CROSSROADS

As the prince turns 40, royal experts paint a picture of a troubled soul- isolated, homesick and struggling to find a purpose in life

time-read
8 minutos  |
5 September 2024