Two South African engineers, Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham, have finally returned home after spending over two years behind bars in Equatorial Guinea on controversial drug charges.
The pair, both in their 50s, were arrested in February 2023 when drugs were allegedly discovered in their luggage, just a day before their scheduled return home after a five-week work assignment with Dutch oil firm, SBM.
Despite being sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined $5 million, they were granted a presidential pardon—thanks to a relentless campaign by their families and intervention from the South African and UK governments.
Their arrest came shortly after South Africa seized luxury assets belonging to Equatorial Guinea’s Vice-President, Teodoro Nguema Obiang, including a yacht and two lavish villas in Cape Town. The timing sparked allegations that the engineers were detained in retaliation.
In a joint statement, the families expressed overwhelming relief, describing the last 28 months as “unimaginably painful.” The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had earlier labeled the imprisonment “unlawful” and called for their immediate release.
Reacting to the development, South Africa’s Foreign Minister, Ronald Lamola, wrote on X: “South Africa expresses its sincere gratitude to the Government of Equatorial Guinea for granting this Presidential pardon.”
The South African government, however, clarified that it cannot interfere with the ongoing legal process concerning the impounded assets.
The Equatorial Guinean authorities are yet to respond to the development.
