South Africa to become more reliant on fuel imports as local refineries face closure Subscribe South Africa will grow even more dependent on imports for its fuel needs as the country’s refining sector faces an uncertain future, says Avhapfani Tshifularo, executive director of the South African Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA). In an interview with S&P Global Platts, Tshifularo said all six of the country’s refineries are currently ‘under review’ and some of them “will have to make some very difficult decisions”. The likely scenario will be to either “to convert a refinery into import or dispose (of) the refinery altogether” instead of an expensive upgrade program, he said.