The International Relations Director-General Zane Dangor says he is disturbed by the sentencing of two South Africans in Equatorial Guinea.
The pair have been found guilty of illicit possession and trafficking of cocaine by a bench of five judges.
The two South Africans were arrested in February at their hotel in Malabo.
They are employed on an oil rig off the coast of Equatorial Guinea and were coming off shift to rest and spend time with their families in South Africa.
Dangor has expressed his utter dismay that the South African diplomatic mission in Equatorial Guinea continues to be denied access to the detainees in violation of international law.
He has emphasised that the Central African country remains responsible for the welfare and safety of the South African citizens being in their custody and expressed his willingness to have more direct and constructive cooperation.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) says the continued denial of access to the two South African nationals in distress compromises the long standing good bilateral relations between the two countries.
