MyZA

News, Directory, Events and Other Stuff

You are here: Home / News / Pandor must ensure swift release of detained engineers

Pandor must ensure swift release of detained engineers

Dear Editor

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the news that after 15 months of silence, DIRCO is finally taking action to secure the release of South African engineers unlawfully incarcerated in Equatorial Guinea.

Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham, both engineers working for a Dutch company in the region, were arrested at their hotel in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on February 9, 2023, a night before they were due to fly back to South Africa.

Their arrests, based on trumped up drug trafficking charges, are widely believed to be in retaliation for the seizure of luxury properties and a super yacht belonging to Equatorial Guinea’s Vice-President, Teodore Nguema Obiang Mangue (Teddy), who also happens to be the son of the President. The super yacht was seized by the Sheriff, just two days prior to their arrest.

The ‘court case’ held in June 2023 in Equatorial Guinea, was a sham; no credible evidence was presented by the prosecution, and Potgieter and Huxham were not given an opportunity to present their case.

They received a 12-year prison sentence each, and are being held in a prison in Mongomo, reserved for political prisoners. They were also ordered to pay USD $5 million each in damages, and additional fines to be shared between them.

Potgieter and Huxham’s unlawful detention is a clear breach of human rights by the government of Equatorial Guinea.

On Saturday 4 May 2024, Minister Naledi Pandor will be visiting Equatorial Guinea to begin negotiating the release of these engineers.

This intervention is long overdue.

The DA wishes Minister Pandor well with these negotiations, and calls on her Office to keep the traumatised families of these engineers updated as discussions progress.

Regards

Emma Louise Powell MP
DA Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation

Category: Tag:

If you feel strongly about this article then feel free to send MyZA a ‘Letter to the Editor’ using the submission form below:

Letter to the Editor

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
If this is in response to an article please include that article title here or as the lead in for the first paragraph of your Letter below.

Separate tags with commas

Localise your letter by naming the city your words are about. Add relevant words describing your subject. Single comma separated words of no more than 5
Your Name(Required)
Your Name will be linked to the website below.
Your personal, business or social media web site
Choose NO to not set up a user account on MyZA. User Accounts will allow you to submit letters under your own Author Name

3 Latest Letters to the Editor:

  • Older Persons Grants Land Today — No Need to Queue at Dawn

    Dear Editor, Older Persons grants are paid today, 30 October, under SASSA’s revised November payment schedule — with disability grants on Monday 2 November, children’s grants on Tuesday 3 November, and grants under review on Thursday 5 November. Two things every beneficiary should know. First, grant money does not expire on payment day. It stays…

  • November Grants Pay Early – No Need to Queue at Dawn

    Dear Editor, I run SAGrant (sagrant.co.za), a free resource helping South Africans navigate SASSA grants. November grants pay earlier than usual. Older Persons grants are paid on Friday 30 October, Disability grants on 2 November, and Child Support and other grants on 3 November. Grants still under review are paid on 5 November. The money…

  • NSFAS 2027 applications close on 31 October — SASSA households, apply now

    Dear Editor, I run SAGrant (sagrant.co.za), a free resource helping South Africans navigate SASSA grants. NSFAS applications for the 2027 academic year close on Friday 31 October 2026, and no extension is expected. If your household receives a SASSA grant, your child already passes the NSFAS financial eligibility test — but they still have to…

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Italy: You have two cows. The northern one produces all the milk. The southern one sleeps all day.

  2. Shebeen – an unlicensed bar [sha-been] These are unlicensed bars usually found in low-income suburbs located outside of the major towns and cities, more commonly known as ‘the townships’.