Sasol has confirmed it is sourcing crude oil from ports outside the Persian Gulf and has contingency measures in place to protect South Africa’s jet fuel supply, as the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran disrupts global energy flows and pushes oil prices to their highest levels since 2022. Brent crude has surged above $112 per barrel since hostilities escalated on 28 February — a level not seen since the post-Ukraine invasion spike — with futures at one point approaching $120 per barrel before easing as markets reassessed the immediate risk of Strait of Hormuz closure.
As reported by Moneyweb, Sasol spokesperson Alex Anderson said the group has sufficient fuel inventory to meet supply obligations across all fuel grades and that the short-term outlook remains stable. The company has implemented measures to source crude from alternative ports and is evaluating further options should conditions deteriorate. Sasol supplies approximately 39% of South Africa’s total liquid fuel needs through its Secunda coal-to-liquids plant and its Natref refinery, the latter of which recently restored operations after fire damage and has raised its 2026 fuel sales guidance as a result. The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources has separately confirmed that fuel consignments for March and early April were secured before the latest escalation and that deliveries have already commenced.
Africa is among the most exposed regions globally to the current disruption, with approximately 70% of the continent’s jet fuel and kerosene imports passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to S&P Global. Jet fuel typically accounts for between 30% and more than 40% of African airline operating costs, compared with a global average of 20% to 25%, according to the African Airlines Association.
South Africa currently has sufficient jet fuel for approximately three to four weeks of domestic flights, with only Sasol’s Natref and Glencore’s Astron Energy operational as crude oil refineries after the permanent closure of two larger plants in 2020 and 2022. The Astron Energy refinery is currently undergoing a planned maintenance shutdown, though the company has secured sufficient imports to cover supply requirements during the downtime. According to IOL, the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa has already implemented controlled allocation measures and banned unplanned demand to prevent stockpiling, with industry stakeholder coordination meetings escalated to a daily basis from 16 March.
The impact on airline operations has been immediate. FlySafair, which does not hedge its fuel costs, has estimated an additional cost of approximately R35,000 per flight hour at current prices across its 37-aircraft fleet operating up to 165 flights daily — with coastal airport jet fuel prices rising 70% in a single week. FlySafair, Airlink, and South African Airways have all added temporary fuel surcharges to ticket prices. The Association of Southern African Travel Agents has reported that South African travellers are overwhelmingly choosing to postpone rather than cancel bookings outright, with forward bookings for the remainder of the year described as holding up. The organisation’s CEO Otto de Vries acknowledged that the gap in capacity left by reduced Middle East carrier operations cannot be instantly replaced, and that sustained demand against reduced supply is pushing fares higher.
The aviation disruption through Gulf hub airports is already measurable. Emirates has reduced its King Shaka International Airport service from daily flights to three per week, and Qatar Airways had no scheduled Johannesburg departures listed until mid-April.
As detailed on Flightradar24, Emirates flight EK767 recorded seven landings at OR Tambo International Airport from Dubai between 17 March and 25 March, with further flights continuing through to early April — a reduced but not halted schedule that reflects the airline’s cautious operational posture rather than a full suspension. Aviation analyst Linden Birns has noted that the unregulated nature of jet fuel pricing in South Africa places the question of any government price cap or subsidy mechanism in contested territory, with no established threshold at which the state is expected to intervene. He has also identified a potential tourism opportunity in the disruption — with diverted travellers and rerouted itineraries potentially benefiting South African destinations if the industry moves quickly to position itself as an alternative to Gulf transit hubs.