Abstract
M.Phil.
This research aims to establish and evaluate the main factors that influence the
fuel industry in South Africa. The South African fuel industry, is influenced by
different business, economical and logistical factors, which all contribute to a
changing fuel environment as well as a changing fuel prices that vary on a
monthly basis, as calculated by the Department of Mineral and Energy
Affairs(DMEA). These factors including crude oil procurement, petroleum
industry, synthetic fuel industry and geographical locations, are fundamentally
important, and explained in more detail in the chapters to follow. Oil as main supply source to the fuel industry, plays a vital role to South Africa as
industrial developing country. The crude oil imported from the eastern countries
is refined into petroleum and alternative fuels, necessary to the economy. The oil
price thus influences the petroleum price, which in turn influences the cost of food
and accessories. This research will for this reason also focus on aspects such as
the actual importation of crude oil, petroleum price structure, price zones,
synfuels and alternative fuels, and the affect these aspects have on the fuel
industry.