Black Beach prison survivor to launch book soon

GEORGE NEWS - Since winning his five-year-long court battle against Teodrin Nguema Obiang, the playboy son of Equatorial Guinea's president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in June this year, Hoekwil resident and former Black Beach prisoner Daniel Janse van Rensburg (55) has been inundated with media interviews.

Apart from local and national newspapers and radio stations, Janse van Rensburg's latest interview was with Hannes van Wyk of kykNET's Kwêla on Sunday 5 September.

Janse van Rensburg spoke to Van Wyk about the horrifying 495 days he spent in Black Beach prison, one of the most notorious prisons in the world.

Medical treatment is routinely denied to inmates and food rations are meagre.

While Janse van Rensburg was in prison, he was assaulted by fellow inmates and forced to witness many atrocities, including murder, stabbings and rape.

On his eventual return home to his family in September 2015, Janse van Rensburg sued Obiang, claiming the amount of R75-million for his wrongful detention in Equatorial Guinea.

Obiang was the second vice-president of the country, in charge of defence and security during Van Rensburg's illegal detention. He was also the political head in charge of the armed forces, police and prisons.

Book about Black Beach

Janse van Rensburg will be launching a book, Black Beach - In the valley of the shadow of death, written by local biographer, Tracey Pharoah.

"Tracey is working hard to finish the book this month, so that we can get it to the publishers. We have also received some film interest, but we have put everything on halt until the book is finished," Janse van Rensburg told George Herald this week.

Claimed funds

Acting High Court Judge AJ Lekhuleni ordered that R9,882-million be paid to Janse van Rensburg in respect of general damages and another R10-million for past loss of income. In addition, the sum of R20-million is to be paid in respect of future loss of earnings as Janse van Rensburg has been declared unfit to work.

Obiang is also responsible for certain legal costs. Janse van Rensburg earlier successfully obtained an attachment order involving estates belonging to Obiang in Bishopscourt, Cape Town valued at R35-million, and a bungalow in Clifton valued at R25-million.

These properties will be auctioned to obtain the nearly R40-million due to Janse van Rensburg.

The date for the auction is still to be confirmed.

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