South Africa and Saudi Arabia have signed a “memorandum of understanding” to boost oil exports to South Africa and build an oil refinery.
But both sides continue to be cagey about the details, which may include an arms deal.
President Nelson Mandela, in Riyadh to meet with King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdallah ibn Abdel Aziz, refused to talk about reports that South Africa has offered a guns-for-oil barter that inlcudes selling Saudi Arabia R7,2 billion worth of artillery and anti-aircraft guns. When South African newspapers leaked details of a pending Saudi deal several months ago, the Saudi government is believed to have threatened to scupper the deal.
But Mandela’s oblique comments on Monday appear to suggest that a deal is indeed being discussed: “If there is an agreement to that effect, it is not a matter that is wise to talk about until we are in a position to make an announcement.”
South Africa is almost entirely dependent on Iran, which provides around 90% of oil imports, and the Saudi talks are aimed at reducing that dependence. In the three years of relations with Saudi Arabia, trade has risen to R1,4-billion.
The Democratic Party has already criticised the alleged guns for oil deal, noting that Saudi Arabia violates almost every human rights tenet South Africa uses to measure foreign countries seeking to buy arms: there are no free elections, free speech, free press or free association; opposition political parties and trade unions are banned, and torture of political detainees is widespread.