There is no immediate risk of fuel shortages in South Africa, but higher fuel prices can be expected to rise at the pumps from next month due to the US-Israeli aggression in Iran.

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) gave the assurance of no shortage, noting that it’s closely monitoring the situation at locally based oil companies and the developments in West Asia. It further notes that while several refineries have closed in recent years, South Africa has two operational crude oil refineries, namely NATREF and Astron Energy. There is also the Sasol Secunda coal-to-liquids plant, which the department says plays a critical role in domestic fuel production.

The department says these facilities rely on crude oil imports sourced primarily from West Africa and increasingly from other African countries.

The Astron refinery is undergoing a planned maintenance shutdown. But the department says the company has secured sufficient fuel imports to cover supply requirements during the maintenance period.

Oil companies that import refined petroleum products from the affected Gulf states are also said to be looking at alternative supply sources to ensure the domestic market is uninterrupted.