The Equatorial Guinean superyacht that was seized by the sheriff of the court two weeks ago in the Cape Town harbour to honour a court order involving Hoekwil businessman Daniel Janse van Rensburg and the vice-president of Equatorial Guinea (EG), has been released.

This comes after Vice-President Teodorin Nguema Obiang threatened to confiscate South African assets and close EG air- and maritime space for South African boats or planes entering and exiting the country if the yacht, Blue Shadow, is not released.

The vessel was seized to be sold at a public auction to honour a court order that Obiang has to pay about R40m in damages to Janse van Rensburg after the latter was imprisoned illegally in the notorious Black Beach Prison in September 2013.

South Africans jailed

According to a statement by Janse van Rensburg, Obiang petitioned the sheriff of the court seeking the immediate release of the superyacht, stating that the vessel was a military asset belonging to the Equatorial Guinea Defence Force and threatening to act with ‘reciprocity’ against South Africa in EG.

Two South African men; Frederic Potgieter (53) from George and Peter Huxham (55) from Langebaan, were arrested at a hotel in the Equatorial Guinean capital, Malabo, on February 9. These arrest were made days after Janse van Rensburg obtained the high court order to attach property belonging to the EG vice-president to be sold at a public action.

The Department of International Relations and Co-operation says Potgieter and Huxham are yet to be charged with a crime.

Police arrested the men at the Anda China Malabo hotel in Equatorial Guinea on a complaint believed to be related to a shipment of cocaine found on an international flight.