Johannesburg - Two companies belonging to businessman Khulubuse Zuma are searching for oil in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Sunday Times reported.
Zuma's companies, Caprikat and Foxwhelp, are registered in
the British Virgin Islands and have begun exploration activities to the east of
the Congo, according to British oil industry watchdog Platform London, the
paper reported.
This was also confirmed by Michael Hulley, Zuma's legal
adviser.
"If you ask anyone there, they will tell you the area
is known for its deposits of oil. But the fact of the matter is that there are
certain pre-emptive steps that you need to take. We are busy with those
pre-emptive steps," the Sunday Times quoted Hulley as saying.
Zuma, President Jacob Zuma's nephew, paid $6m for
two oil concessions in the country in 2010, the weekly reported.
The sites had been held by Irish group Tullow since 2006.
Tullow attempted unsuccessfully to block their reassignment to Zuma.