The South African Parliament has condemned the “unlawful imprisonment” of two South African engineers in Equatorial Guinea for more than 500 days and has called on the South African government to facilitate their release.
The families of the two men, Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham, have thanked the House of Assembly which on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution, proposed by DA MP Emma Powell, calling for their immediate release.
Potgieter and Huxham, who had been working for a Dutch company involved in Equatorial Guinea’s oil industry, were arrested in that country in February 2023, two days after South African courts had seized a luxury superyacht belonging to Equatorial Guinea’s Vice-President, Teodore Nguema Obiang Mangue, the president’s son. Earlier, the South African courts had also seized the vice-president’s two luxury Cape Town villas (Clifton and Bishopscourt). These assets were impounded following a court ruling in South Africa on a separate matter, completely unrelated to Huxham and Potgieter.
Read more: SA won’t pay ‘ransom’ for release of two citizens jailed in Equatorial Guinea
But their families believe they were arrested in retaliation for the seizure of the properties of playboy Vice-President “Teddy” Mangue who has bought luxury houses and cars all over the world.
The resolution adopted in the House of Assembly said that the House:
- Condemns the ongoing unlawful imprisonment of two innocent South African citizens, Mr Frik Potgieter and Mr Peter Huxham, in Equatorial Guinea since 9 February 2023.
- Notes the Formal Opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued on 1 July 2024 which concluded that Mr Potgieter and Mr Huxham’s arrest and ongoing detention in Equatorial Guinea is arbitrary, illegal and a gross violation of human rights, and that they should be released immediately.
- Reaffirms South Africa’s commitment to international law and human rights and supports efforts to ensure accountability for actions that violate these principles.
- Stands in support of the families of Mr Potgieter and Mr Huxham, who are suffering because of their loved ones’ illegal detention.
- Calls on the South African authorities to facilitate the immediate release of Mr Potgieter and Mr Huxham.
Shaun Murphy, the spokesperson for the Potgieter family, said Parliament had effectively endorsed the formal opinion of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention this year that the arrests and continuing detention of the two men was arbitrary and illegal, and had called for their immediate release.
“The imprisonment of these two innocent men by the government of Equatorial Guinea is a direct violation of fundamental human rights, including the right to liberty and security of person, as enshrined in international law.”
Read more: Pretoria steps up diplomatic pressure on Equatorial Guinea over imprisoned South Africans
Francois Nigrini, the spokesperson for the Huxham family, said: “The outpouring of support for Frik and Peter’s release has been nothing short of extraordinary, from both the South African public and the international community.
“Nearly 15,000 signatories from around the globe have added their voices to the FreeFrikandPeter.co.za petition, calling for immediate justice.
This groundswell of support should be a clear signal to our government to do whatever it takes to secure their immediate release and prioritise their case. Frik and Peter were innocent victims of being the wrong nationality, at the wrong place, at the wrong time. This kind of hostage diplomacy is a gross injustice and must be condemned in the strongest terms.”
Read more: Free Frik and Peter
Both current International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola and his predecessor Naledi Pandor have met their counterparts in Equatorial Guinea to appeal for the release of the two men, but to no avail. DM