Venezuelan President leaves SAfrica after energy deal: official

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has left South Africa after inking a raft of energy agreements with Pretoria, a senior government spokesman said Wednesday. 'He left late Tuesday after the state banquet which followed the signing of the agreements,' Xolani Malawana told AFP. The deal was part of a burgeoning cooperation between South America and the African continent. The two countries signed a string of energy cooperation agreements that South African President Thabo Mbeki said aimed to cut out the middle man in plans to foster oil trade between the two countries. Chavez said it was critical for the two continents to work together and that the agreements should be implemented 'as soon as possible.' Venezuela, a member of oil cartel OPEC (the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries), has one of the world's largest oil reserves.