Parliament demands release of SA businessmen imprisoned in Equatorial Guinea

Unanimous motion follows UN support for SA pair

Parliament has backed calls for the release of two South African businessmen illegally imprisoned in Equatorial Guinea.

This follows a move earlier this year by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention which came out in support of engineers Peter Huxham and Frik Potgieter, who have been incarcerated since February last year. They appear to be innocent victims in an ongoing legal battle over South African assets belonging to Equatorial Guinea vice-president Teodoro “Teddy” Nguema Obiang Mangue.    

In a unanimous decision, parliament adopted a motion condemning the arrests and calling on South African authorities to work towards their release.

“The House reaffirms South Africa’s commitment to international law and human rights and supports efforts to ensure accountability for actions that violate the principles,” read the motion.

The families of the men welcomed the motion.

Shaun Murphy, spokesperson for the Potgieter family, said: “ Parliament has effectively endorsed the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s formal opinion, issued in July, which concluded Peter and Frik’s arrests and ongoing detention are arbitrary and illegal, and 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.”

Francois Nigrini, spokesperson for the Huxham family, said: “The outpouring of support for Frik and Peter’s release has been nothing short of extraordinary, from 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. The 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. This kind of hostage diplomacy is a gross injustice and must be condemned in the strongest terms.”

Tuesday’s parliamentary motion was tabled by Emma Powell of the DA.

Huxham and Potgieter, who worked in the offshore oil and gas industry, were arrested at a hotel and received 12-year sentences for drug smuggling, apparently linked to events beyond their control.

They were arrested a few days after a superyacht linked to the Equatorial Guinea vice-president was detained in Cape Town. Obiang’s luxury Cape Town properties, one in Clifton and the other in Bishopscourt, were seized by order of the Western Cape High Court pending the outcome of a legal battle between Obiang and a South African businessman who also spent 18 months in an Equatorial Guinea jail, and lodged a civil claim against Obiang on his release. 

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