/ 31 August 2000

CALLIE AND MONIQUE HOME AT LAST

SOUTH African couple Callie and Monique Strydom, held captive for four months by Moslem rebels in the Philippines, have arrived home to an emotional welcome. The Strydoms landed at the Waterkloof airbase outside Pretoria after a 14-hour flight aboard a chartered SA Airways jet with a high-level South African government delegation led by Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Zuma and senior government officials, Emotions ran high as relatives and family members of the couple hugged and kissed the Strydoms. Asked by reporters what she would be doing on their return home, Monique replied ”Just sleep”. Monique and five other hostages were freed on Sunday and her husband Carel, walked free on Monday. Seven others – six Westerners and a Filipino – are still being held by the Abu Sayyaf rebel group. – Reuters