South Africa has sent a government delegation to the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway whose disruption can quickly move from a Middle East security crisis to higher fuel prices at South African pumps.
The mission comes amid rising tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran, with Pretoria seeking a closer assessment of the geopolitical risks around one of the world’s most important oil transit routes. Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe said the visit aims to build a first-hand understanding of developments around the corridor and their implications for South Africa’s energy security planning.
The International Energy Agency says nearly 15 million barrels per day of crude oil, or about 34 per cent of global crude oil trade, passed through the Strait of Hormuz in 2025. Most of those flows went to Asia, but disruptions in such a concentrated route quickly affect global prices, insurance costs, freight movements and fuel supply chains far beyond the Gulf.
Recent shipping data shows how fragile the Strait of Hormuz route has become. Reuters reported that three supertankers carrying a combined 6 million barrels of Middle Eastern crude exited the strait on May 20 after being delayed in the Gulf for more than two months. Before the current conflict, about 125 to 140 vessels passed through the strait daily, while recent averages have fallen to around 10, underscoring the scale of disruption in the corridor.
For South Africa, the risk lands through several channels. The country imports a large share of its crude and refined fuel needs, while years of refinery closures have reduced its ability to cushion external shocks through domestic processing. Analysts have warned that South Africa remains exposed not only to crude oil disruptions, but also to refined product imports from Gulf producers such as Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
That exposure feeds directly into household and business costs. When oil prices rise, South Africa’s fuel pricing system transmits those increases into petrol, diesel and transport costs. Diesel is especially important because it powers logistics, farming equipment, mining operations and backup electricity generation. A sustained Hormuz shock would therefore affect more than motorists. It would move through food prices, freight costs, manufacturing inputs and inflation expectations.
Pretoria is now trying to manage the risk diplomatically and commercially. The government has been engaging Gulf states and Iran while encouraging dialogue to prevent further disruption to energy flows, especially along the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, South Africa is exploring ways to diversify crude and fuel import sources, a strategy that has become more urgent as geopolitical tensions reshape energy markets.
The wider global response shows that South Africa is not alone in reassessing energy routes. The United Arab Emirates says a new pipeline designed to bypass Hormuz is now 50 per cent complete and expected to start operations in 2027, highlighting how Gulf producers themselves are preparing for a less predictable maritime environment.
Food security concerns have also entered the debate. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation has warned that a prolonged Hormuz closure could trigger a broader agrifood shock within six to twelve months, as energy costs affect fertiliser production, shipping rates and food supply chains. For import-dependent African economies, that link between oil transit and food prices is becoming harder to ignore.
South Africa’s delegation to the Strait of Hormuz, therefore, reflects more than a fact-finding trip. It signals a recognition that energy security now depends on diplomatic awareness, supply diversification and stronger contingency planning, not only on market purchases.
The visit to the Strait of Hormuz also exposes a deeper policy challenge. South Africa cannot control the military and diplomatic tensions around Hormuz, but it can reduce the extent to which a distant maritime choke point controls its fuel prices, logistics costs and inflation outlook. That work will require faster diversification of suppliers, clearer strategic fuel planning, and renewed attention to the country’s weakened refining capacity.