Overview
- South Africa approved a temporary R3 per litre relief for April to soften what officials said would have been far steeper increases at the pump.
- The government said it is considering refurbishing mothballed refineries so local plants can supply South Africa and neighboring states.
- The country now operates only two crude refineries, Natref and Astron Energy, alongside Sasol’s coal‑to‑liquids plant after SAPREF shut in 2022.
- Officials said South Africa sources most crude from Nigeria and Angola but depends on the Middle East for refined products, which raises risk when shipping is disrupted.
- Regional strains are mounting, with Kenya reporting about 20% petrol station outages tied to panic buying, Tanzania seeing price jumps above 30%, and Ethiopia ordering suppliers to curb deliveries to most users.