I Will Get To See Him Again!
YOU South Africa|July 27, 2017

A Joburg widower is clinging to the hope that his son who was abducted by Al Qaeda in 2011 will soon be released.

Jacques Myburgh
I Will Get To See Him Again!

THE blue off road motorbike parked in the garage is covered in red sand, gritty from its time in the Sahara desert. But the man standing next to it has no intention of cleaning it. “ Stephen can wash it when he gets back,” he says. “I think it will be good therapy for him.”

Malcolm McGown has been “saving” the task for his son, Stephen, for more than five years – during which he’s been clinging to hope that his boy would be freed by Al Qaeda.

Stephen was kidnapped by the terrorist group in September 2011 in Timbuk­ tu, Mali.

His motorbike was found outside the backpackers’ lodge where he’d been staying and delivered to his parents at their home in Sandton, Johannesburg. For a while it was their only link to their son trapped in a faraway land.

But something happened recently to rekindle Malcolm’s hope of a reunion: his captors released a video of Stephen as proof he was still alive.

“When I saw Stephen’s face for the first time in the video, my heart wanted to break,” Malcolm says. “I wanted to weep with joy that my son was still alive. It confirmed to me that he’d be coming home. I’ll get to see him again.”

In the 16 ­second silent video, Stephen (42) can be seen with five other hostages. He looks thin and subdued and his hair and beard are long, Malcolm says, but he’s feeling optimistic for the first time. “I know and trust he’ll soon be set free. It’s just a matter of time.”

The video was the first evidence since 2015 that Stephen is alive. Back then a similar video was released to the South African humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers, which had been mediating between the kidnappers and the McGowns.

Sadly the latest video came too late for Stephen’s mom, Beverley (60), who died of emphysema in May this year.

この記事は YOU South Africa の July 27, 2017 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は YOU South Africa の July 27, 2017 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

YOU SOUTH AFRICAのその他の記事すべて表示
HOW TO BE YOUR OWN THERAPIST
YOU South Africa

HOW TO BE YOUR OWN THERAPIST

With more and more of us struggling with our mental health, here's a common-sense guide to coping with life's ups and downs

time-read
5 分  |
5 December 2024
SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES
YOU South Africa

SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES

John van de Ruit tells us why he decided to write a sequel - and shares how his first book helped him find enduring love

time-read
5 分  |
5 December 2024
SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG
YOU South Africa

SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG

A Cape Town couple have been charged with using a young woman as a sex slave-but some say she lost the job she signed up for and now has a grudge against them

time-read
4 分  |
5 December 2024
LIAM LAID TO REST
YOU South Africa

LIAM LAID TO REST

More than a month after One Direction singer LIAM PAYNE (31) tragically fell to his death from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his loved ones finally got to say their goodbyes.

time-read
1 min  |
5 December 2024
SHILOH HANGS OUT
YOU South Africa

SHILOH HANGS OUT

THE two young women look like any pair of good friends chatting and laughing as they leave their dance class in Los Angeles.

time-read
1 min  |
5 December 2024
LEO IN LOVE
YOU South Africa

LEO IN LOVE

He's just turned 50 and it seems Leonardo DiCaprio may finally be ready to settle down

time-read
3 分  |
5 December 2024
PACKING A PUNCH
YOU South Africa

PACKING A PUNCH

Irish actor Paul Mescal beefed up for his role in the blockbuster epic Gladiator II - and fans are loving it

time-read
4 分  |
5 December 2024
I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD
YOU South Africa

I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD

As the illegitimate daughter of the king, she fought to be recognised as part of Belgium's royal family, but Princess Delphine says she still feels unwelcome

time-read
5 分  |
5 December 2024
'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'
YOU South Africa

'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'

A bite from a spitting cobra 13 years ago nearly killed her but Mikayla survived - and she's made peace with her scars

time-read
4 分  |
5 December 2024
THE CLAWS ARE OUT!
YOU South Africa

THE CLAWS ARE OUT!

Things have grown frosty between the Beckhams and the Sussexes as Becks comes out in clear support of William

time-read
7 分  |
5 December 2024