Episode Details

South Africa’s trillion-rand infrastructure push is hitting a major snag: bitumen shortages. Once self-sufficient in refining oil into this road-critical material, the country now relies heavily on imports due to plummeting refining capacity since 2020. With key refineries like Sapref shut down by floods and no concrete plans to reopen them, construction firms face volatile global prices and quality concerns over imported bitumen. Officials warn geopolitical instability exposes the nation’s vulnerability, making it clear that massive spending alone won’t fix the problem—domestic production and supply chain security are urgently needed.

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