By Toyin Akinosho
Just how do you determine that a company is a home-grown South African E&P firm?
It’s not always as clear as knowing that Seplat (85,000BOPD gross) is an indigenous Nigerian company, or that Somoil is nothing but Angolan.
As a rule, African born, indigenous E&P firms focus largely on assets in their countries of birth. Plus their boards and management are mostly filled with nationals of those countries.
Not so Ophir, which was created 12 years ago by Mvelaphanda Holdings, the diversified mining group founded by ANC politician Tokyo Sexwale.
