Families of SA engineers detained in Equatorial Guinea hopeful following Lamola’s visit

The families of two South Africans detained in Equatorial Guinea have welcomed efforts by the South African government to secure the release of their loved ones.

Frik Potgieter, a South African citizen, and Peter Huxham, a dual South African and United Kingdom citizen, have been in jail on what their families describe as fabricated drug charges.

‘Fabricated charges’

The two engineers were working for a global oil and gas company when they were arrested on 9 February 2023.

Their families claim the charges against the duo are in retaliation after South African courts ordered the seizure of a yacht and two luxury villas in Cape Town belonging to Equatorial Guinea Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue.

‘Resolving matter’

On Friday, International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola visited Equatorial Guinea and met his counterpart, Simeón Oyono Esono Angue, in the capital, Malabo.

Lamola said that he had raised the need to resolve the challenge of Potgieter and Huxham’s ongoing detention.

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“We continue to engage and look forward to finding long-lasting solutions, including [solutions to] the challenges that the nationals of Equatorial Guinea face in our country. We continue to look for solutions that must strengthen the good bilateral relations of the two countries.”

‘Renewed hope’

Shaun Murphy and Francois Nigrini, spokespersons for the Potgieter and Huxham families, expressed renewed hope following this diplomatic engagement: 

“This visit brings a glimmer of hope to our families, who have endured the prolonged and unjust detention of Frik and Peter for far too long. These two engineers have dedicated years to Equatorial Guinea’s oil and gas sector, and to mentoring young Equatorial Guinean workers.

“We earnestly urge our government to persist in these diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Frik and Peter. Their ongoing detention has inflicted profound distress on them and their families, who suffer daily from the absence of their loved ones,” the duo said.

Parliament motion

They said the detention of the pair has robbed them of nearly two years, time that they can never regain.

“We firmly believe that through sustained engagement and action, a resolution can be achieved that honours justice and human rights.”

Last October, Parliament passed a motion for Potgieter and Huxham’s immediate release.

The motion without notice was tabled by Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament Emma Powell and adopted unanimously by all political parties without any objections.

The house condemned the “ongoing unlawful imprisonment of Potgieter and Huxham, in Equatorial Guinea since 9 February 2023″.

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