Mantashe wants R117 billion to revive a dead oil refinery

• The Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, is seeking R117 billion in funding from the National Treasury to revive the Sapref oil refinery in Durban.
• The Central Energy Fund (CEF) purchased Sapref in 2024 for just R1, and has since said it plans to resume operations at the plant, with a three-phase plan to restore and upgrade the facility.
• The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has argued that the high bill proposed by the CEF is unaffordable for the South African government, and that the country should not react hastily to rising oil prices.