The elderly parents of a Durban woman who is on death row in China for drug smuggling have not heard from their daughter in over a year after she left in 2008 to work in the United Kingdom.
Janice "Nicky" Linden's father Wellington said earlier this month he sat down to watch the 7pm news at their Wentworth home as usual and, to his horror, heard how his daughter faced the death penalty after being arrested at Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou in November 2008 with 3kg of methamphetamines in her luggage.
"I got such a shock I nearly fainted. I couldn't believe it," he said.
Linden's mother Virginia said: "I asked him what happened?"
But he could not bring himself to tell her what he had just heard. "I just said nothing. But family and others had also seen the broadcast and soon began calling.
"I got a call from my cousin in Cape Town. They had also just watched."
The family eventually brought themselves to tell her, but she still cannot believe it.
Virginia said she understands why her family refused to tell her. "I'm sick, I have high blood pressure and sugar diabetes. As you can see, my leg has been amputated from the sugar. They were worried that I might get sick if they told me."
According to Chinese press reports, Linden, 35, was sentenced in July last year after she was convicted of drug smuggling.
On April 8 this year, a higher Chinese court upheld the death sentence after a failed appeal hearing in November.
The court said in a statement it had decided Linden should not be allowed leniency because she tried to evade supervision of Chinese customs to smuggle a large amount of drugs into the country.
Wellington said they were not sure how their daughter got into the situation but heard rumours that she had married a Nigerian man in Durban.
Virginia says her daughter never mentioned it.
Department of International Relations and Co-operation spokesman Mahlatsi Mminele said the case has been referred to the high court in Beijing for a final decision.
"The department, on behalf of the government, continues to engage the relevant Chinese authorities regarding a possible commuting of the death sentence.
"South Africa's ambassador in Beijing, Ndumiso Ntshinga, is leading the government's efforts in this regard," said Mminele.
Wellington said they had not been contacted by the government and for them it was just a waiting game. They were praying and hoping she would be given a lighter sentence.