The giant Secunda complex of Sasol, South Africa’s biggest chemicals and energy company, provides the fundamental ingredients to South Africa’s petrochemical sector. It produces petrochemicals, plastics, chemicals essential to key industries such as agriculture (fertilisers) and mining (explosives), and 30% of the country’s liquid fuels. These value chains are very important to the economy. In 2021, this output accounted for 2.6% of GDP directly and 5.2% indirectly.
Sasol also employs more than 28,000 South Africans. It makes significant contributions to corporate taxes, wages, and social investment. It sustains a whole town built specifically for its Secunda workforce.
Sasol’s Secunda facilities are rare and interesting. Firstly, they use coal rather than oil or gas as a feedstock to make petrochemicals and liquid fuels, which is unusual. Secondly, as the largest manufacturer of petrochemicals in South Africa, the facility is hugely important.
