Awwal 14, 1432 H/Feb 17, 2011, SPA -- South Africa's foreign minister says a South African oil worker kidnapped in eastern Congo has been freed, as AP reported. The minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, said Thursday she had no details on how the man's release was secured Wednesday but that her government paid no ransom. The man, who was working for oil and gas company Soco International, was seized Monday by Rwandan Hutu rebels while traveling in a vehicle with a fellow South African and four members of the Congolese military, officials said. Several rebel groups prey on civilians in eastern Congo.
