The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has invoked the Promotion of Access to Information Act to obtain state documentation on an allegedly irregular oil deal involving South Africa and Nigeria.
In a statement reflecting a motion to be put to the National Assembly on Tuesday, 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. This request carried a deadline of 2pm today (Tuesday).
Davidson said these documents included correspondence between the executive (the South African cabinet), the Nigerian government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNCP).
Some of this correspondence was obtained by the M&G, and constitutes a number of letters referring to government’s involvement in an oil deal: on August 12 1999 South Africa’s high commission in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, wrote to Obasanjo’s special adviser on petroleum, Obasanjo’s minister for co-operation in Africa and the managing director of the NNPC to brief them on a forthcoming visit to their country by ”a high-level investment team” from the South African state oil and gas company Soekor (now part of PetroSA).
The letter said: ”You will no doubt be aware of the exchange of correspondence between President Obasanjo and President Mbeki on the term contract for oil sales between Nigeria and South Africa.”
An attached briefing note elaborated: ”The [Soekor] visit is in response to the recent correspondence relating to oil and gas sales and investment which was exchanged between President Mbeki and President Obasanjo. This correspondence was conveyed during the visit to Nigeria of Minister Alec Erwin, Minister of Trade and Industry, during July 1999.”
Davidson says: ”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. The Speaker refused the request, on grounds that that there was no provision in the rules that permits the Speaker’s intervention. I-Net Bridge