Families of SA ‘hostages’ in Equatorial Guinea plead for Pan-African Parliament intervention

(Photo: Supplied)

By Peter Fabricius

24 Jun 2024

Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham have spent more than 500 days in jail after being arrested on what their families insist were fabricated drug-related charges.

The families of Frik Potgieter (54) and Peter Huxham (55), two South Africans who have been “unlawfully” jailed in Equatorial Guinea since 9 February 2023, have delivered a formal request to the president of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), Chief Fortune Charumbira, asking the institution to intervene to secure the men’s urgent release.

Potgieter’s wife, Sonja Potgieter, and Huxham’s fiancée, Kathy McConnachie, handed over the written request to the PAP’s third vice-president, Lúcia Maria Mendes, at the PAP in Midrand on Monday. A representative of the family said Mendes had acknowledged receipt of the memo, expressed concern and told them the PAP would be seized with the matter and would get back to them.

sa hostages equatorial guinea Jolene Potgieter (23) during an interview in Cape Town about her father, Frik Potgieter (54) who is being held in Equatorial Guinea. (Photo: Gallo Images / Rapport / Edrea du Toit)

“The petition was received today by the third vice-president, deployed by the president, on behalf of the [PAP] Bureau as the opening ceremony was still taking place,” PAP spokesperson Jeff Onganga confirmed to Daily Maverick.

“The next step is for the bureau to meet, read and fully understand the content of the petition. It will then advise the family on what it thinks should be the way forward. Given the full day today [Monday], the bureau will probably meet tomorrow,” he added.

He explained that the PAP Bureau comprised the president and the four vice-presidents, together representing the five regions of Africa.

Outside the building, supporters of the two men staged a demonstration, protesting at their detention and demanding their release.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Families of two South Africans jailed in Equatorial Guinea launch ‘Free Frik and Peter’ campaign

The Pan-African Parliament is the legislative and oversight arm of the African Union. The request was handed over at the official opening of the 3rd Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament.

hostages equatorial guinea A protest highlighting the plight of Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham. (Photo: Supplied)

Shaun Murphy, a spokesperson for the Potgieter family, said: “Frik and Peter are citizens of the African continent, where they have lived and worked all their lives. The Pan-African Parliament’s mandate is to protect the human rights of all the continent’s citizens, and we are therefore humbly asking for their assistance in freeing these two innocent men from unlawful imprisonment in Equatorial Guinea.

“Frik and Peter are beloved fathers, partners, grandfathers and pillars of both their families and their communities. For their families, every passing day without them is an eternity of missed moments and cherished memories that can never be regained. Their loved ones want them to come home.”

Potgieter and Huxham, qualified engineers, were working in Equatorial Guinea for a global oil and gas company when they were arrested on what their families insist were fabricated drug-related charges, in February last year.

Their arrests took place just two days after South African authorities seized a luxury superyacht belonging to Equatorial Guinea’s vice-president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue.

Earlier, South Africa had seized Obiang’s two luxury Cape Town villas. These assets were seized to execute a court order that they should be sold to realise financial compensation for South African businessman Daniel Janse van Rensburg for his unlawful detention in Equatorial Guinea in 2013 for about 500 days. The case is completely unrelated to that of Potgieter and Huxham but it is clear Obiang had them arrested to exact revenge simply because they are South African.

Even though the superyacht has been released, the villas remain impounded in South Africa, and the men had remained in prison in Equatorial Guinea for 501 days as of Monday.

In May, the minister of international relations and cooperation, Naledi Pandor, raised the issue when she visited Equatorial Guinea to meet her counterpart Simeón Oyono Esono Angüe and President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Naledi Pandor heads for Equatorial Guinea to seek release of jailed SA engineers

“Minister Pandor took advantage of her presence in Equatorial Guinea to raise with the authorities South Africa’s concerns regarding the incarceration of two South African citizens in the country,” her department said in a statement then.

“The minister reiterated South Africa’s plea to the government of Equatorial Guinea for the release of the incarcerated South African citizens. Engagements on this matter are continuing.”

Pretoria has said nothing further on the outcome of the engagements.

A family representative said the two men had been caught in the diplomatic crossfire between South Africa and Equatorial Guinea. She said they had appealed for the Pan-African Parliament’s intervention, “noting that its mandate is a platform for people from all African states to be involved in discussions and decision-making on the problems and challenges facing the continent; and that it is mandated to promote human rights and the rule of law by all AU organs, regional economic communities … and member states.

“Today, the families specifically called on the PAP — both the plenary and the Committee on Justice and Human Rights — to be seized of this case, that they investigate the matter, and that they advocate for the immediate release of these two innocent African citizens, who have been caught in a dispute between two African nation-states.”

The families previously said Potgieter and Huxham were effectively being held “hostage”, suggesting the ransom that Vice-President Obiang demands is the return of his Cape Town villas.

Last week, the families launched an online petition, website and social media campaign to share their story and demand the two men’s urgent release.

The campaign is also being conducted on X, Facebook and LinkedIn. DM

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