South Africa, a net importer of refined oil products, needs a new refinery and the cabinet is expected to make a firm decision later this year on whether to build a new facility, the new energy minister said on Friday.

Mmamoloko Kubayi told parliament that a public-private partnership to develop the new refinery that would be majority owned by South Africa’s government was preferred.

(Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by James Macharia)