The families of two South Africans detained in Equatorial Guinea have welcomed efforts by the South African government to have their loved ones released. Frik Potgieter, a South African citizen, and Peter Huxham, a dual South African and United Kingdom citizen, have been in jail following what their families describe as trumped-up 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 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’ International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola visited Equatorial Guinea and met his counterpart, Simeón Oyono Esono Angue, in the capital Malabo on Friday, Lamola said that he had raised the need to resolve the challenge of the ongoing detention of Potgieter and Huxham. “We continue to engage to 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.” ALSO READ: Calls for clemency for SA engineers jailed in Equatorial Guinea ‘Renewed hope’ Shaun Murphy and Francois Nigrini, spokespersons for the Potgieter and Huxham families, expressed renewed hope f.