The wife of the South African hostage killed in Yemen shared a message of forgiveness in an interview published Tuesday.

Yolande Korkie, wife of Pierre Korkie, said that she does not carry feelings of bitterness or resentment towards those responsible for her husband's death, and instead chooses to forgive.

"What will it help to accuse?" she asked in a news conference at a Gift of Givers logistics centre in Johannesburg. "What will it help to find out what happened? Will it bring Pierre back? Never."

Yolande said she learned forgiveness from Pierre, and if he were still alive, "then that would be what he would want to say."

The couple were kidnapped by al Qaeda in Taiz in May 2013. South African aide group Gift of Givers negotiated Yolande's release in January this year, and expected to secure Pierre's release eventually.

"We visualised it differently," Yolande admitted.

US Special Forces attempted to rescue American hostage Luke Somers from the al Qaeda compound on December 6, unaware that Korkie and Somers were being held together. The soldiers attempted to surprise the militants, but the al Qaeda fighters were alerted to the presence, possibly by a dog barking.

A firefight broke out, and both Korkie and Somers were shot. The rescuers evacuated the men under fire, and a surgical team worked on them while they were flown to safety. However both died as a result of their injuries.

US officials say six al Qaeda members were killed in the fight, but no soldiers were injured or killed.

Yolande said Pierre was sick in the days leading to her release, but he still managed to leave her with a final message.

"He could not hear at that stage anymore," Yolande recounted. "He said, 'I love you and tell the children I love them.'"