An engineer, Peter Huxham, who is being held unlawfully in a prison in Equatorial Guinea after being arrested at his hotel in Malabo, in February, on allegations of drug-related charges, has made contact with his family for the first time in seven months.

The families of Huxham and Frederik Potgieter, who is also being held in the Mongomo prison, have reportedly been devastated by the arrests for crimes they “unequivocally did not commit”.

Both engineers were working for SBM Offshore in the country at the time of their arrests.

Potgieter and Huxham had worked for the company for 11 and 15 years, respectively, and maintained an impeccable professional record in the oil and gas industry.

The phone call beteen Huxham and his family was arranged through the UK High Commission to Cameroon, which secured an official visit to see Huxham on the basis that he holds both South African and UK citizenship.

Unfortunately, Potgieter was not allowed to speak to his family as he only had South African citizenship and the UK High Commission was only granted permission by the Equatorial Guinea government to meet with Huxham.

The families of the engineers are engaging with South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation on the wrongful incarceration and conviction in that country. The department has confirmed it will assist with securing regular personal contact with the engineers.

Huxham and Potgieter attended a trial on June 26 before being found guilty of illegal drug trafficking on June 29. The court sentenced each of them to 12 years’ imprisonment in Equatorial Guinea.

Additionally, they were ordered to pay a R93.7-million penalty.

The matter is being appealed by the defendants’ lawyers.

The families believe the release of Huxham and Potgieter will depend on strong and successful bilateral engagement between the governments of South Africa and Equatorial Guinea.

The engineers have already been in jail for seven months, and every additional day deepens their exposure to harm and distress, the families state in a release distributed on their behalf by strategic communications consultancy Prolog Consulting.

There have been reports that the arrests of Huxham and Potgieter are linked to the seizure of a superyacht and luxury properties in Cape Town, owned by an influential member of the Equatorial Guinea Cabinet.

The superyacht was reportedly seized by the South African courts just days before the two men were arrested.

Francois Nigrini, spokesperson for the Huxham family, said this is a clear indication that this is a political matter, which requires a political solution, and that the two engineers are victims of trumped-up charges.