South Africa’s Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe announced that the country is fast-tracking domestic gas development and LNG import projects to mitigate a supply shortfall from Mozambique.

He made the announcement during the G20 Africa Energy Investment Forum – Hosted by the African Energy Chamber – in Johannesburg on November 21.

“We will continue to develop infrastructure to integrate new deposits and avail gas to South Africa,” Minister Mantashe stated, adding, “The biggest solution is us. Having access our own gas deposits.”

The country currently imports 90% of its natural gas via the 865km ROMPCO pipeline from Mozambique’s Pande and Temane fields. With South African energy and chemical company Sasol planning to prioritize its internal volumes from mid-2026, the government is accelerating infrastructure and domestic exploration to secure new supplies and strengthen energy resilience.

To address the gap, the government is accelerating the Matola Floating Storage and Regasification Unit in Mozambique, expected online by mid-2026, and the Richards Bay LNG terminal in South Africa, scheduled for 2027. Plans are also underway for new pipelines to connect offshore discoveries in the Orange Basin to the national grid.

Minister Mantashe also emphasized that the country needs to spearhead regulatory reforms to unlock offshore exploration and lift moratoria in the Karoo and Orange Basins. The Orange Basin, site of major discoveries including Brulpadda and Luiperd, has the potential to drastically reduce imports, boost GDP and create jobs, the Minister stated, adding that successful development could unleash billions in investments across petrochemicals and energy sectors.

“Drill, baby, drill,” Minister Mantashe emphasized, adding, “We have no legal restriction on oil and gas exploration and exploitation in South Africa. If we make a breakthrough on oil and gas, our GDP will grow exponentially. Our people will never breathe fresh air in darkness.”

South Africa’s move signals a decisive push toward energy self-sufficiency at a time when global LNG markets are volatile and domestic gas demand is set to rise.