The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has invoked the Promotion of Access to Information Act to obtain state documentation on an alleged oil deal involving South Africa and Nigeria.
In a statement reflecting a motion to be put to the National Assembly on Tuesday, the DA’s minerals spokesperson Ian Davidson said his party had requested President Thabo Mbeki to release all documents and correspondence relating to the alleged oil deal reported in the Mail & Guardian on May 30. The request carried a deadline of 2pm today (Tuesday).
The Mail & Guardian report alleged that the South African government was involved in an irregular oil deal with Nigeria, and that a lucrative Nigerian oil contract, which was secured with the aid of Mbeki in 1999, was diverted to an off-shore company with no benefit to South Africa.
Davidson said these documents included correspondence between the executive (the South African cabinet), the Nigerian government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
”As I speak, there has been no positive response to this request and therefore the DA is now invoking the Act in order to obtain the information.”
”Release of these documents is important as it would appear that a lucrative oil contract intended for all the people of South Africa, secured with the aid of the president, has benefited only a select few, being a number of figures linked to the inner sanctum of the ANC [African National Congress], including the ANC’s own fundraising trust.”
”If what is alleged is correct, then this is an abuse of the president’s Office and a potential fraud on the South African and Nigerian public,” said Davidson.
The invocation comes after a request by the DA to Dr Frene Ginwala to pose a series of questions to Mbeki over the deal. Ginwala refused the request, on grounds that that there was no provision in the rules that permits the Speaker’s intervention. I-Net Bridge, staff reporter