Somali pirates kill yatchsman

A man allegedly killed by Somali pirates when he refused to disembark from a yacht in the Indian ocean was not South African, the department of international relations said in a statement.

It was earlier reported that the man, who was with a woman and a child in the yacht at the time of the killing earlier yesterday, was South African.

"We are, however, with our international partners in Somalia, investigating the identity of the other two kidnapped individuals who are thought to be South African citizens," said department spokesman Saul Molobi.

"We will communicate more information as soon as our investigations are concluded."

Reuters earlier reported that the man, who was initially believed to be South African, was shot and killed near the Barawe town on the southern Somali coastline by pirates who had hijacked him and held him hostage.

They are reportedly holding hostage a woman and a boy who were travelling with the man.

"The man died instantly and the gunmen took the other hostages ashore," said Barawe resident Ali Shuke.

"The woman and a boy were taken to jungle areas near the town."

The yacht is reportedly adrift off the coast.

The killing of hostages by Somali pirates is rare. They usually hold them hostage until a ransom is paid.

Andrew Mwangura, head of a regional maritime group based in Kenya's port city of Mombasa, confirmed that the yacht was anchored near Barawe.

Al Shabaab, which is aligned to al-Qaeda, controls Barawe.

Source: Reuters