ANN CROTTY: Will oil find turn SA into a Norway or Angola?
SA’s gas find, unless it’s used well, could spell a resource curse
As they prepare for another lavish wedding, this time at the five-star Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi, the Guptas must be contemplating news of a major gas find off the coast of SA with dismay. If only they’d never used e-mail; if only the Zuma faction had prevailed at the end of 2017; if only SA’s judiciary and civil society hadn’t been so cussed … if only. What a gravy train that gas find could have been for them and all the Zuma cronies — untold riches with not even the pretence of governance or oversight. The estimated R1-trillion find would have made everything else they had grabbed seem like chump change. And, because there’s nothing quite like striking oil, gas or gold to fire the imagination, there’s already talk of possibly another four similar finds in the area. Read it and weep, Tony, Atul and Ajay. But before we get too excited about our lottery win, perhaps we should have a word with the guys at Shoprite. They’ve had first-hand experience of the darker side of "game...
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