SA engineer held in Equatorial Guinea for 860 days speaks out after pardon and release

John Maytham is joined by Frik Potgieter, one of two South African engineers who were unlawfully arrested and held in Equatorial Guinea for 2 years.

Listen below:

One of the two South African engineers unlawfully detained in the Republic of Equatorial Guinea has spoken of his disbelief at hearing they were to be freed.

Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham were arrested by Equatorial Guinean police on 9 February 2023 on fabricated drug trafficking charges and were subsequently sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.

ALSO READ: Free Frik and Peter: Families launch campaign for SAns held as ‘state hostages’

"It was overwhelming - on the one side, I thought, I don't believe it...You were never sure: are we really going home, or was it just another rumour?"

- Frik Potgieter, Engineer

On the night of 9 February 2023, Potgieter and Huxham, who were on a work trip, were separately summoned to the hotel's reception, unaware that they were about to be arrested on fabricated drug trafficking charges.

Unbeknownst to them, their arrest followed South Africa’s seizure of luxury assets belonging to Equatorial Guinea’s vice president.

Just two days before the men were arrested, the South African courts had impounded the vice president’s super yacht, and before this, South African courts had seized his two luxury villas in Cape Town.

They were detained for 860 days.

Potgieter says there were two very low points during his time in captivity:

"First, when they transported us from one prison to Malabo prison and I prayed to God and said please let this airplane fall so this can be over and done with and my family can get on with their lives."

- Frik Potgieter, Engineer

"And another day I had in 2024 I prayed to God and said let this be the end of the world, I can't take it anymore."

- Frik Potgieter, Engineer

ALSO READ: Calls for Parliament to help South African engineers held hostage in Equatorial Guinea

Potgieter says often what got him through the really difficult times was support from his fellow prisoners:

"You think about your loved ones...there's so many people involved, so many people doing their best...and you think, I can't let those people down."

- Frik Potgieter, Engineer

Despite the trauma of being held prisoner and being kept from returning home to family and loved ones, Potgieter says they were never mistreated by the prison guards.

"We never experienced any violence from any other guards, no verbal abuse... we were treated in a very good manner."

- Frik Potgieter, Engineer

"The food wasn't that good, I've lost 25kg in this time."

- Frik Potgieter, Engineer

The pair were met by Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola at Lanseria Airport in Johannesburg upon their return last month.

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