And if  South Sudan’s  power-sharing government delayed by a further six months does not materialize, the R14,5 billion deal with South Africa could evaporate.

Minister in the Presidency Jeff  Radebe was desperate to get the oil deal with South Sudan signed before tomorrow’s elections.

Source in the industry are wondering: why the rush?

Since independence eight years ago, South Sudan has signed only one other oil deal.

Almost all of the 180 000 barrels a day being pumped from from the third largest oil reserves in Sub Sahara Africa goes straight to China and Malaysia.

Way down the queue, South Africa will benefit only if South Sudan  makes new discoveries.

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The  agreement signed between the oil ministers of the two countries today includes construction of a refinery.

South Africa’s Energy Minister Jeff Radebe and his South Sudanese counterpart Ezekiel Gatkouth said when inking the memorandum of understanding in Juba today that the deal offers avenues for cooperation in the construction of a pipeline to serve fields in the south of the world’s newest country.

Radebe says when the refinery is completed it will have the capacity to produce 60 000 barrels of oil daily.

South Sudan’s oil industry is dominated by Asian firms including China National Petroleum Corporation, Malaysia’s Petronas and India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.

Today’s agreement involves South African  participation  in the exploration of several oil blocks.

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The party insists Rwanda’s former spymaster was killed on orders from President Paul Kagame.

Rwanda National Congress executive member Etienne Murabazi says today’s hearing in the the Randburg Magistrates Court outside Johannesburg will determine whether the prosecution is ready to proceed.

It will decide on the date and venue for the inquest into the death of Colonel Patrick Karegeya.

Karegeya’s family and the Rwandan National Congress have expressed their gratitude to the South African authorities for the progress made in the pursuit of justice.

Murabazi says it is expected in any criminal trial with political overtones that there will be delays as the authorities try to avoid a hearing.

He says the RNC is certain Karegeya, who fled into exile in South Africa in 2007, was killed on orders from President Paul Kagame.

The denials from Kagame and his ministers are to be expected.

The killing at the luxurious Michalangelo Towers in Sandton marred bilateral relations between South Africa and Rwanda.

Then Justice Minister Jeff Radebe lashed out at foreign governments  seeking to perpetrate criminal acts in South Africa 

South Africa expelled three Rwandan diplomats alleged to have been connected to the killing on New Year’s eve in  2013.

Rwanda retaliated by expelling six South African diplomats in Kigali.

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The provincial executive of the African National Congress in Gauteng, which houses both Johannesburg and Pretoria, has sent a not to branches saying Ramaphosa its its only candidate for leadership of the party at its elective conference in December.

It’s been a turbulent week for the trade-unionist-turned-politician-turned billionaire-turned politician.

This is hardly surprising as the race hots up for leadership of the African National Congress, which will in all likelihood also mean the national presidency after the 2019 election.

Cyril Ramaphosa was tipped by 16 of the country’s top 26 political analysts to become the next ANC leader.

Five of the analysts, who come from universities, risk advisers and research institutes, say President Jacob Zuma’s ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will succeed him. Four say it was too soon to call and one says Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe will be a surprise winner.

They say Ramaphosa surging ahead because he’s declared his hand and pledged to fight corruption.

Dlamini Zuma is suffering because she’s perceived to be too close to her former husband.

Results of the analysts’ poll came before the announcement from the ANC provincial executive in Gauteng.

Ramaphosa already has the support of provincial executives in the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape – popularly known as the cradle of the ANC revolution.

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