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South Africa Drafts Rules Requiring State and Private Firms to Stockpile Up to 81 Days of Fuel
Draft rules would require state and private companies to stockpile up to 81 days of national fuel consumption. The proposal responds to import disruptions from the US-Iran conflict via the Strait of Hormuz.
Jul 15, 9:57 AM·1m read1 source
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South Africa is planning its biggest buildup of strategic oil reserves since the apartheid era. Semafor reported that under new draft fuel security rules the government would require the state and private fuel companies to stockpile a combined buffer of up to 81 days of national consumption.
The proposal revives a massive storage network built in the 1970s to protect against international sanctions.
The draft rules are out for public comment before they become law. The move comes as the US war with Iran ramps up again on July 15, 2026, disrupting fuel shipments through the Strait of Hormuz that South Africa relies on for energy imports. Africa’s largest economy is now wholly dependent on imported petrol, diesel, and jet fuel.
“This vulnerability is compounded by the closure of domestic refineries,” the draft document reads. South Africa closed its two major refineries in 2022 after new fuel regulations undermined their commercial logic. The Middle East crisis has prompted renewed calls for African nations to increase energy autonomy.
Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote has announced plans to expand his refining business to East Africa.
