In an April interview, South African paramedic Gerco Van Deventer reflects on his 2,234 days in captivity, challenging the assumption that returning home marks the end of hardship. He describes reintegration as more difficult than expected, especially rebuilding his relationship with his wife after years of separation and change, and emphasizes that families also carry a heavy emotional burden while adapting to new roles and routines in a loved one’s absence. He explains that captivity was primarily psychological, and that faith, discipline, and a day-by-day mindset were key to surviving isolation and uncertainty. After his return, he says his priorities shifted strongly toward faith and family over material concerns. He adds a hopeful note that he now focuses on using his experience to help others prepare for and cope with hostile environments, turning what he went through into something meaningful and constructive.

How are you adjusting to being back home? Many people assume coming home is the end of the struggle. What can you clarify about this misconception?
To be very honest, it was way more difficult than people might think. A lot changed over the 2234 days that I was held captive. What people forgot when I was released was that I didn’t know my wife anymore, just as she didn’t know me. A lot has changed for us as a couple and it takes a long time to work at it, but if both individuals are willing and want to work at it, it can be done. A lot of people forget that the person who was held against their will was detained, but the real victims are the family. They had to manage without the family member who was detained. They had to take over some of the roles in the family dynamics. New routines had to be created and worked out.

Is there anything you felt your family or friends should have done differently while you were captive?
There was nothing anybody could have done for me during the period. They had to carry on with living their lives. When I was taken, my wife became the breadwinner. She took over that role. Yes, there were interviews done and she wrote a letter to the South African president, but nothing came of it. The organisation that held me wanted money and would only consider negotiation for that. What the Algerian government did or negotiated, I do not know. So, I cannot judge anybody’s actions.

Looking back, what helped you get through the toughest moments of your captivity? And what helps you get through the toughest moments after your return?
My whole kidnapping was a spiritual walk for me. I grew up wanting to be a soldier and then joined the South African Defence Force to serve in an elite medical unit in support of the South African Special Forces (Recce’s), which meant I was trained to handle stressful and difficult situations. I could handle the isolation and the difficult living in the desert, but that was only the physical side of it. Any kidnapping or being detained against your will is 95% psychological. Your body will carry on as long as your mind is strong. Being a hostage takes a lot of mental resolve, and that is why I say it was a spiritual walk for me. I had to find something to hold on to no matter what the situation or circumstances were, and that was my faith. I held on to my faith no matter what, and I learned more about my faith there in that situation than in any church or congregation.
I also didn’t overthink things and took it day by day. Even after being shot in 2020 during my captivity, I didn’t allow myself to overthink what happened. I knew the kidnapping would end. I didn’t know when or how, or if I would be alive, but I knew it would end.

Did your ordeal change the way you see life or your priorities? How?
Absolutely it changed me and what I see as my priorities. My priorities are my family. I spend as much time with my family as possible. In the past I wanted a lot of things, but as my priorities have changed, I’ve learnt what is important, and that is a relationship with my God and my family. It doesn’t matter what car you drive or how much money you have in the bank; you can lose all of it in an instant, which I did, but my relationships are forever.

How does support of family, friends, or even strangers impact your reintegration?
Reintegration wasn’t difficult. It sometimes felt as if I was only away for a rotation in Afghanistan. My wife actually said that I was different but also still the same guy I was before. I don’t overthink things in general. I’m not downplaying things, but I don’t let it affect my overall well-being.

How do you evaluate the efforts made by your government during your captivity, and how did their actions affect you or your family? What did you find most helpful or lacking?
I cannot answer the question because I don’t know what the South African Government did or didn’t do. What I do know is they didn’t even know Algeria was negotiating and facilitating my release. The embassy in Algiers only received a memo on 16 December 2023 stating that I was safe and with the Algerian Secret Service.
After my release they did provide a psychologist and medical doctor to evaluate me for possible PTSD, but that was it.

As a former hostage, what do you need most to continue healing and moving forward?
To be honest, there isn’t much that people can do for you compared to what you can do for yourself. Am I going to sit and complain about what I went through, or am I going to use this as a learning experience to help myself? Talking about it with someone or a therapist will most definitely help. I did a bunch of talks at churches in South Africa to share my faith walk, and that also helped me process the experiences. I had to think about it but not let it rule over my daily thoughts.

Are there new goals, passions, or projects you are inspired to pursue since your return?
I have qualified myself as an Advanced First Aid instructor and I freelance as a HEAT instructor, specializing in hostage survival. I’ve been to the Royal Dutch Air Force’s SERE School to share my experience and help them understand the mental strain of being a hostage.
My passion is to help people mentally prepare for hostile environments and teach some basic survival skills. I would also like to assist family members in understanding what their loved ones might be going through.

When you reflect on your journey, what keeps you hopeful, and what message would you like to share with other hostages about resilience and moving forward?
We as humans were created with the ability to make choices. That means that you as a hostage or former hostage have the choice to stay a captive or to come out of it completely. In other words, do I stay a victim/hostage, or do I see it as something I went through and can now build on? I made that choice early on during my kidnapping. I had to accept that I was kidnapped and that I was being held against my will. Because acceptance is the first step to survival. I then made the choice to come out as a whole person, and that is why I said that my whole kidnapping was a spiritual walk. There are no right or wrong choices, only choices with better or worse outcomes, and you must accept the outcome. Then make better choices to give you better outcomes. I personally tried to make the choices that would give me the best outcomes.