The families of two detained South African engineers, Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham, staged a peaceful protest outside Africa Energy Week at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, with government officials from Equatorial Guinea in attendance at the conference, on November 5.

The families are appealing for clemency and the release of the two men, who have been held for almost 21 months in what is said to be retaliation for South African authorities having seized property and a yacht belonging to Equatorial Guinea Vice-President Teodore Nguema Obiang Mangue.

“We plead with the government of Equatorial Guinea to show compassion and grant them clemency so they can come home to their families and rebuild their lives,” says Kathy McConnachie, who is Huxham's life partner.

“As the families of Frik and Peter, we humbly appeal to the government leaders of Equatorial Guinea to grant them their freedom. For more than 634 days, our beloved husbands, partners, fathers and grandfathers have been separated from us, unlawfully imprisoned in a foreign country far from home. Every day without them is a day filled with worry, sadness and an overwhelming sense of helplessness,” says Sonja Potgieter, Frik’s wife.

Both men are highly respected engineers with more than a decade of experience each who have worked in the oil and gas sector in Equatorial Guinea for many years. They have long been appreciated by their peers, both for their technical expertise and for their commitment to training and mentoring younger Equatorial Guinean professionals, the families say.

Close to 21 months of imprisonment has taken its toll on the health and mental wellbeing of Potgieter and Huxham. Both men suffer from chronic conditions, have lost significant weight and the mental anguish of their unlawful detention has led to the prison authorities calling for urgent medical intervention.

“We are becoming increasingly concerned for Frik and Peter’s health and mental wellbeing. They’ve already endured much suffering during these long months of imprisonment under extremely difficult conditions. Each day they remain in prison adds to their hardship and to the distress of our families, who have been separated from them without any meaningful contact,” says McConnachie.

“We are asking for the release of two innocent men who have been caught in diplomatic circumstances beyond their control. We appeal to the compassion and humanity of the South African, UK and Equatorial Guinean governments. We believe in their capacity for empathy and their commitment to human rights and justice.

“Our only desire is to see Frik and Peter return home safely. We ask these governments to work on finding a solution that can end this nightmare for our families,” the families say.

The families are also pleading with South African International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola and UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy to find an urgent solution to Potgieter's and Huxham’s ongoing detention in Equatorial Guinea.

Both Ministers are at the conference in Cape Town.

In July, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention intervened, issuing an opinion declaring the men’s detention illegal and arbitrary, and calling for their immediate release. Despite the UN's formal opinion, Potgieter and Huxham remain in jail.

“We understand that there are complex diplomatic issues at play, but we implore the President of Equatorial Guinea and these Ministers to see beyond politics and consider the human cost of this situation,” say spokespersons for the Potgieter and Huxham families Shaun Murphy and Francois Nigrini.