British journalist and author, Yvonne Ridley who survived being taken hostage by the Taliban in 2001 said during her visit to the province on Friday that the state of politics in the country should serve as a warning to citizens to be more careful and responsible when electing the next president.
Ridley who was captured during her time as an investigative journalist visited the Muslim community in Nirvana to share her personal experiences and how she got released from Afghanistan unharmed. This was her second visit to the province and Ridley, accompanied by humanitarian journalist, Azhar Vadi explained that the visit was to raise awareness about Afghanistan and the plight of the Rohingya in Myanmar are going through currently.
In an interview with Polokwane Observer Ridley said South Africans should look at the current president as a warning for what happens when people are careless about democracy. She further said President Jacob Zuma let the people down and the least he could do is apologise.
“He is one of many leaders around the world who should apologise. The only thing South Africa can say about their president is that at least he is not Donald Trump. I am still eternally optimistic about life purely because of South Africa. You have come out of this horrible dark period and evilness of apartheid, hence I believe you will also get out of this mess. Nobody knows more than South Africans how precious democracy is and let this unhappy episode serve as a warning to be more responsible who you choose to represent you,” Ridley pronounced.
Ridley was released after 11 days of starvation and two years later converted to Islam after giving her captors an understanding that she would study Islam if they agreed to release her. She emphasised that the Taliban thought she was an American spy which was quite amusing and terrifying because she was told that the Taliban was the most evil and brutal regime in the world and they hated women and she didn’t think she was going to get out of the ordeal alive.
“On that ground I just thought even if I am nice they are going to be awful and kill me but somehow they treated me with courtesy and respect. When I was finally released the war had started, America had gone into war with the Taliban and people were shocked when I told them that the Taliban treated me with courtesy and respect. After the terrifying experience I went back to London and begun reading about Islam because as a journalist covering the Middle-East, I needed to know more about the faith,” she explained and reiterated that it was very easy for her to study it as she was already a practising Christian.
She added that her experience with the Taliban prompted her to embark on a spiritual journey and the ordeal also made her to write a book titled ‘In the hands of the Taliban’. She recently published another book about torture and she is about to conclude a book on the life of Prophet Mohammed titled ‘Don’t shoot the messenger’.
Story: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za
