South Africa’s Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe announced that the country is accelerating plans to rebuild domestic refining capacity and consolidate state-owned petroleum assets to strengthen energy security. 

Speaking at the G20 Africa Energy Investment Forum, organized by the African Energy Chamber Mantashe said “We have sufficient storage capacity in South Africa that helps us support imports, but we can not only rely on stockpiles, but we also need to refine.”  

South Africa’s refining sector has been in decline following the closure of most of its aging facilities. Currently, operational sites include Natref in Sasolburg, Astron Energy in Cape Town and integrated energy and chemical company Sasol’s Secunda CTL plant, which together cover roughly 30% of the nation’s fuel needs.  

Key closures include Sapref and Engen in Durban, while PetroSA’s Mossel Bay GTL refinery remains offline due to feedstock constraints. 

To reverse this trend, the government launched the South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC), merging PetroSA, the state-owned iGas and the Strategic Fuel Fund under one entity. SANPC is tasked with reviving idle refineries, consolidating state petroleum assets and reducing dependence on imports. 

“We are working towards developing new refineries and ensuring SANPC leads our efforts to secure fuel supply for South Africa,” Minister Mantashe added. 

South Africa’s move signals a decisive push to restore refining capacity, strengthen domestic energy security and position SANPC as a central player in the country’s energy transition.