Dirco dismisses claims that ransom was paid for McGown's release
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has denied reports that government paid a ransom to secure the release of Stephen McGown.
In a series of tweets, a New York Times reporter said the publication had confirmed "South Africa used an intermediary to pay a €3.5-million ransom for the freedom of McGown".
Journalist Rukmini Callimachi, is a correspondent for The New York Times covering ISIS.
1. We just confirmed that South Africa used an intermediary to pay a €3.5-million ransom for the freedom of McGown https://t.co/7MGoXiPn3Q
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) August 3, 2017
A report by the publication claims "the payment was negotiated through an intermediary, Gift of the Givers Foundation" and that the money was "transferred by an undercover agent working for French security services in the Adrar des Iforas mountains
Dirco spokesperson Clayson Monyela refutes the claims.
International relations and cooperation minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane announced McGown's release at a post-cabinet briefing on Thursday morning.
He had been released six years after his kidnapping in Mali.
WATCH: SA hostage still alive in Mali
McGown was taken hostage by Al-Qaeda in 2011.
He was freed from his captors on Saturday, Nkoana-Mashabane announced.
State security agency spokesperson Brian Dube says a similar question had been posed during the briefing - reiterating the minister's stance that government does not pay ransoms.
Gift of the Givers had initially used an intermediary during the negotiation process.
However, Gift of the Givers' director Imtiaaz Sooliman says the organisation was not involved in securing the release of McGown.