And findings will only be made public once passed through the Cabinet.

Feb. 1 (Bloomberg) -- South Africa’s minerals department is expected to complete a report on hydraulic fracturing in the Karoo region by the end of March and will only make the findings public once it’s passed through the Cabinet, it said.

The release date for the report will depend on Cabinet processes, the department said in court documents filed yesterday. The initial deadline was July 31, 2011.

The Department of Mineral Resources can’t say whether a moratorium on oil and gas exploration and production licensing in the Karoo, an arid stretch across northwest South Africa, will end on Feb. 29 as planned, Zingaphi Jakuja, a spokeswoman for the department, said by mobile phone today.

“The minister hasn’t pronounced on it,” Jakuja said.

South Africa, a net oil importer that’s threatened by power shortages, has 485 trillion cubic feet of recoverable shale-gas reserves, according to a U.S. Energy Information Administration report.

The Treasure Karoo Action Group, which opposes so-called fracking in the Karoo, brought an application to force the department to publish details of reports by the government- appointed team tasked with researching the implications of fracking. The department is opposing the case, saying it is not obliged by law to divulge information that is used to help formulate policy. Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. and Bundu Oil & Gas (Pty) Ltd. have applied for licenses to explore for shale gas in the area.

“We are still studying the minister’s submission and will then decide on the way forward,” Treasure Karoo Chairman Jonathan Deal said by mobile phone.