Zuma can feel oil, gas in his blood – Peters

WE do have enough oil and gas in South Africa – President Jacob Zuma can feel it in his blood, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said yesterday.

She said this as an aside while delivering the keynote address at the African Maritime Domain Conference in Port Elizabeth yesterday.

Zuma, who launched Operation Phakisa earlier this year, made marine transport and manufacturing as well as the exploration and exploitation of offshore oil and gas an integral part of the country's ocean economy strategy.

"President Zuma said he [could] feel it in his blood that we have enough oil and gas.

"As an African leader connected to Mother Earth he can feel it ... his blood and oxygen tells him that there is oil and gas, so we need to go after it and unlock its potential to develop this continent and South Africa," Peters said as she and the delegates laughed. While government preliminary research has suggested South African waters might contain about 9 billion barrels of oil, there is uncertainty about the extent of either oil or gas resources offshore.

Several multinational companies have started exploring for oil and gas in Algoa Bay and along the Eastern Cape coast in the past two years.

Total Exploration and Production SA last week advertised a notice to conduct additional exploration activities off the south coast in an area between Mossel Bay and Cape St Francis.

Peters said Operation Phakisa would accelerate delivery, boosting jobs and unlocking the country's economic potential.

Transnet National Ports Authority chief executive Tau Morwe, who also spoke at the conference, said the country needed to exploit broader research opportunities presented by offshore oil and gas exploration. - Cindy Preller