South Africa is negotiating an oil deal with South Sudan, Energy Minister Jeff Radebe said when speaking to the media.
The Minister’s statement follows reports that the country was in talks to construct a refinery in South Sudan.
Radebe said the negotiations with South Sudan were not exclusive and it was also looking at securing deals in other countries like Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea.
Reports of a $1-billion refinery deal with South Africa first emerged earlier this year, saying Cape Town had already spent almost $1.4 million on the refinery project.
Radebe and the government were criticized by lawmakers of going about the deal in a secretive way.
The Energy Minister dismissed the criticism saying all was “above board” in South Africa’s oil and gas negotiations with South Sudan.