EPTC Association Warns South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC) Bill Threatens SA  Energy Sovereignty Unless White Concentrated Foreign Owned Monopolies are Broken

The Energy Producers and Traders Collective (EPTC) Association, representing over 63 established, Black-owned fuel companies and wholesale traders, is making a formal submission to Parliament warning that the upcoming South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC) Bill is a hollow promise for fuel security unless it aggressively breaks the grip of foreign oil monopolies.

While in this submission the EPTC strongly backs the government’s plan to merge state energy assets like PetroSA and the Strategic Fuel Fund into a single national oil giant, EPTC cautions that the multi-billion-rand mandate is completely unfinanced. Without explicit laws forcing partnerships with local Black industrialists, the state will be forced to rely on foreign capital, locking South Africa into a foreign-controlled fuel system.

It is the EPTC’S view that "National fuel security is a complete illusion if the physical infrastructure- the valves, the storage tanks, and the pipeline grids- remains under the absolute control of untransformed foreign companies whose political and financial interests oppose South Africa's sovereignty".

Exposing a Glaring Corporate Double Standard

The EPTC's submission exposes a massive contradiction in how global oil giants operate in South Africa. When drilling and extracting raw oil offshore under mining laws, these exact same multi-nationals willingly cede a strict 30% direct Black ownership floor. However, when it comes to refining, storing, and distributing that same fuel on public land downstream, they have fiercely resisted transformation for over 15 years, defending a nominal 9% baseline for Black ownership.

To dismantle this double standard, the EPTC is invoking the Doctrine of Legal Parity, demanding that Parliament insert hard clauses into the SANPC Bill mandating a minimum 25% direct Black operational equity floor across all domestic liquid fuel manufacturing, refining, processing, and public port grids. The 'Doctrine of Legal Parity calls for fairness and consistency in the law. Our current mining laws (the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act) force global oil giants to have 30% Black ownership when they drill for raw oil in our oceans. However when it comes to refining and storing that same fuel on land, they take advantage of looser energy regulations to keep local ownership at a bare minimum. The logic is simple: The 'Doctrine of Legal Parity' simply states that the law must be consistent from start to finish. If a 30% local partnership works out at sea, a 25% partnership can easily work on land. Parliament needs to use the upcoming SANPC Bill to close this loophole and create one equal standard. 

A Dangerous 60% Import Dependency

The association highlights that over-reliance on Western-aligned oil majors has directly threatened South Africa’s sovereign foreign policy. Foreign majors executed a tactical "investment strike" by freezing infrastructure upgrades, systematically shutting down 4 out of 6 domestic refineries (including Sapref and Enref) to turn the country into a passive import terminal. This deliberate destruction of domestic manufacturing has forced a dangerous 60% import dependency, tanking national fuel reserves to a critical 14 to 22 days.

The Black Industrialist Blueprint

Rather than seeking tokenistic corporate "fronting" or passive paper shares that are easily devalued when foreign majors exit, the EPTC has laid out a bankable, asset-backed technical blueprint to co-invest alongside the state:

1. DBSA-Backed Infrastructure Takeover: The EPTC has registered a 

    Special Purpose Vehicle with potential backing from the Development 

    Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) the specially created SPV the EPTC is 

    poised to take over, fund, and manage 27.8% of the rationalised 

    storage capacity in Durban's Island View Precinct.

2. Ambrose Park Fuel Hub: Members will deploy private development  

    capital to build brand-new, specialised tank farms at the 54-hectare   

    Ambrose Park site outside the legacy port grids.

3. Dismantling Logistical Monopolies: The plan includes funding and  

    constructing a new pipeline spur connecting Ambrose Park directly to 

    Transnet’s main Durban Pump Station, establishing an open-access 

    injection valve for independent Black wholesalers to pump fuel straight 

    into the national network.

4. Feedstock Ownership: Legally mandating that 25% of the raw crude 

    oil feedstock landing for the revitalised Sapref facility be owned and 

    logistically managed by Black trading houses to keep manufacturing 

    margins within the domestic economy.

The EPTC Association has formally requested the opportunity to make an oral presentation before the Portfolio Committee on Mineral and Petroleum Resources during the upcoming public hearings to defend these structural amendments.

EPTC Members are encouraged to read the EPTC Association SANPC BILL draft submission and the SANCP Bill [B2-2026] and share their insights. Submissions close on the 10th of July 2026. Therefore, Members will have until 11:30am 10 July 2026 to comment and make suggestions. Kindly leave your comments/suggestions by typing in fields of the table below: