South African engineers Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham remain imprisoned in Equatorial Guinea, 730 days after their sudden and unlawful arrest, despite international rulings declaring their detention illegal.

At the grim second anniversary of their incarceration, their families have issued an urgent plea to the governments of South Africa and the UK to intensify their efforts to bring the men home, and are calling on Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo to grant them clemency.

“February 9 marks a heartbreaking milestone: two years of wrongful imprisonment for [Potgieter] and [Huxham], two innocent men trapped in a diplomatic standoff between South Africa and Equatorial Guinea. Two years of suffering, fear and uncertainty. Two years of unanswered pleas, despite clear international and parliamentary calls for their freedom.

“For their families, every single day without them has been an unbearable injustice,” spokespersons for the families Shaun Murphy and Francois Nigrini said on February 9.

Potgieter and Huxham were arrested in Equatorial Guinea on February 9, 2023. On July 1 last year, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released a formal opinion on their case, deeming the arrests and ongoing detention both unlawful and arbitrary, and called for their immediate release.

In October, South Africa’s Parliament passed a unanimous motion demanding urgent action to secure their release. Despite this, the two men remain in prison in Equatorial Guinea. 

Potgieter and Huxham are both accomplished and respected professionals and have worked in the oil and gas sector in Equatorial Guinea for many years. During this time, they were instrumental in mentoring young people from Equatorial Guinea and providing the skills and training required for them to excel at their careers. 

“These past two years have been a nightmare, one which both [Potgieter] and [Huxham] and their families would like to put behind them as soon as possible so that they can move on with their lives. [Potgieter] and [Huxham] are innocent men caught in a political storm not of their making.

“During our very limited number of calls with them – four with [Potgieter] and six with [Huxham] – over the past two years, it is clear that their physical and mental health is deteriorating and that their hope is waning too. We will, however, continue to plead for justice. Two years is too long. The time for action is now,” Murphy and Nigrini said.

The families of the two men have called for an urgent government-to-government solution to what has been determined to be a diplomatic issue.

Among the interventions required is ongoing South African diplomatic engagement. International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola and President Cyril Ramaphosa need to continue to engage their counterparts in Equatorial Guinea to secure the men’s immediate release, the families say.

Intervention by the UK government is also required.

“As a dual UK-South African citizen, [Huxham]’s case also requires the UK government to do everything in their power to bring both men home,” Murphy and Nigrini pointed out.

The pair have also called for more accountability from the South African Parliament, which must continue to hold government officials accountable, ensuring every avenue is pursued with urgency and determination.

Further, clemency from Mbasogo is being pleaded for.

“[As] a devout Catholic and a father, [he] has the power to show compassion and grant . . . clemency. We plead with him to end their suffering,” Murphy and Nigrini said.

The families continue to call on all South Africans, civil society and the international community to stand with them and demand justice.

“The past two years have taken so much from our families. Time that can never be regained. We will not stop fighting for [Potgieter] and [Huxham]. This must end now,” Murphy and Nigrini said.