Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham have been in jail following sentencing on what their families say has been trumped up drug charges
The chairperson of Parliament’s international relations committee, Supra Mahumapelo said he understands the plight the families of two South African engineers imprisoned in Equatorial Guinea for more than 500 days.
Frederik Potgieter, a South African sokonnect and Peter Huxham, dual South African and United Kingdom sokonnect have been in jail following on what their families said has been trumped-up drug charges in retaliation for
The duo were arrested in February last year in retaliation after South African courts ordered the seizure of a yacht and two luxury villas in Cape Town of Equatorial Guinea’s vice-president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue.
Difficulty
The families of 54-year-old Potgieter and 55-year-old Huxham have turned to Parliament on Wednesday to help facilitate their release.
Mahumapelo said the committee understands the difficulty of the families.
“We should work together to overcome the difficulty that some of your family members are facing.”
The Democratic Alliance (DA)’s Emma Powell said there has been “positive agreement” from the office of Minister Ronald Lamola to be summoned before the committee to account to South Africa about what his department is doing to secure the release of Potgieter and Huxham.
ALSO READ: UN demands immediate release of SA engineers detained in Equatorial Guinea
Dirco action
Powell also presented a petition that has been signed by more than 11 000 South Africans calling the men’s release.
“What these families need is regular consular access to their husbands, they need to understand what deliberate, direct and targeted actions Dirco [Department of International Relations and Cooperation] is taking to demarche the Equatorial Guinean embassy or ambassador in South Africa.
“Whether or not we would consider any sanctions or any consequence or punitive measures in so far as the continued hostage situation goes,” Powell said.
Feeling safe in Africa
Mahumapelo said they will write to Lamola for the matter to get urgent attention.
“As South Africa, we are part of Africa and we do business on the African continent and rest of the world and we should made to feel safe wherever we are on the African continent.
“I did say to honourable Powell that at some point it may be necessary for you as a family to be assisted, to either write to the president or ask for an audience with the president,” Mahumapelo said.
Former Dirco Minister Naledi Pandor had taken up the matter when she travelled to Equatorial Guinea in May.
Earlier this year, the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared the detention of Potgieter and Huxham as arbitrary and illegal.
ALSO READ: Engineers’ detainment in Equatorial Guinea sparks questions on gov’s inaction
