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Cape Town - In case you missed it, here is a roundup of Tuesday's top 5 reads on Fin24:
Central Energy Fund to probe PetroSA and fuel fund
The board of the Central Energy Fund wants a court to declare an illegal sale of South Africa’s strategic oil reserves void, and plans to launch a forensic investigation into the Strategic Fuel Fund and PetroSA.
An audit report first leaked to Business Times and in Fin24's possession, shows that South Africa will lose about R3.3bn due to the illegal sale of the country’s strategic fuel reserves in December 2015 and January 2016. SA may have to pay almost R6.5bn to replace the 10 million barrels that were sold.
READ: CEF to probe PetroSA, SFF deals and will seek legal action over fuel sale
'Mahlobo in oil talks with Senegal's Sall, not Russia's Putin over nuclear'
Energy Minister David Mahlobo was part of President Jacob Zuma’s delegation that met the Senegalese government on Tuesday and was not meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, as speculated by an MP.
This is according to Deputy Energy Minister Thembisile Majola, who was responding to Inkatha Freedom Party MP Jan Esterhuizen in Parliament on Tuesday, where Mahlobo was not present.
The Sunday Times reported this weekend that Mahlobo was appointed energy minister in last week’s Cabinet reshuffle at the behest of Putin, as Russia allegedly saw the former intelligence minister as more likely to succeed in pushing through the nuclear deal at a faster pace.
Russia and the Presidency have denied the report.
READ: 'Mahlobo in oil talks with Senegal's Sall, not Russia's Putin over nuclear'
Is Radebe's Mandate Paper classified, or not?
The information officer in Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Jeff Radebe's office has declined to make available the so-called Mandate Paper that sets out government's budget priorities, claiming it's a classified Cabinet record.
DA finance spokesperson David Maynier said in a statement on Tuesday that he submitted a request to access the document in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) in September this year. He said the request was denied on the basis of the paper being classified.
In a letter addressed to Maynier, Stanley Mtakumba, Paia deputy information officer at the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) said: "In terms of Section 12 (a) of Paia the DPME cannot grant your access to the Mandate paper since it is a classified record."
READ: Is Radebe's Mandate Paper classified, or not?
State firms most glaring risk to SA fiscal stability - Budget Office
Although guarantees to South African Airways make up only 2.3% of government’s total contingent liabilities, the parastatal is in a poor financial state and therefore careful oversight over its affairs is necessary, said Rashaad Amra from the Parliamentary Budget Office on Tuesday.
The Parliamentary Budget Office briefed Parliament’s finance committees on Tuesday ahead of the Medium-term Budget Policy Statement which will be tabled on Wednesday.
During the briefing, government’s contingent liabilities in terms of state-owned enterprises were identified as one of the most glaring risks for fiscal stability in the country.
READ: State firms most glaring risk to SA fiscal stability - Budget Office
Land grab without compensation could affect all in SA - legal expert
Expropriation of land without compensation will not only affect farmers or those in rural areas, but has the potential to snowball into a situation that will touch all South Africans.
This is the view of Theo Boshoff, head of legal intelligence at the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) in its latest newsletter.
"While the (ANC) leadership race has certainly stolen the lime light,... one should not neglect the central policy issues postponed in July that are due to be decided at the upcoming conference (in December)," said Boshoff.
READ: Land grab without compensation could affect all in SA - legal expert
The McKinsey dossier part 6: Five strikes and you're IN
In their latest investigation into state capture, Scorpio and amaBhungane explore how Eskom ignored five legal opinions, some from within its own ranks, warning the power utility that its contentious “at risk” consulting contract with McKinsey was probably illegal.
So nervous about the contract was McKinsey that its own in-house lawyer concluded Eskom would have to be “brave” in order to sign, newly leaked McKinsey documents show.
READ: The McKinsey dossier part 6: Five strikes and you're IN
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