Shiraaz Mohamed's family pleads with captors to let him go
It has been a week since the kidnapping of South African photographer Shiraaz Mohamed in Syria.
The Johannesburg-based reporter was on assignment for aid organisation Gift of the Givers when he was taken by an unknown group of men while heading towards the Turkish border.
Search efforts for Mohammed have been intensified over the past few days.
Gift of the Givers representatives met with the Turkish Governor yesterday, with the Turks pledging to assist in any way they can.
Yesterday also saw a growing number of protests in the streets of Darkush, with residents apologising for his capture and demanding his release.
His family remains devastated by the news.
His ex-wife, Shirley Brijlal, thanked the Syrian people for their support and pleaded with his captors to let Mohamed go.
"As a mother myself, I can sympathise with the pain Shiraaz's mother is going through. There are women in Syria who may know where he is, who have sons who would understand what they would do if their sons went missing. We are asking them to let us know, to let the Gift of the Givers know where he is," says Brijlal.