South African Petroleum Refineries (Pty) Ltd (SAPREF)

South African Petroleum Refineries (SAPREF) operates in the Prospecton area of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. From 1963 to 2022 SAPREF ran one of the largest crude oil refineries in the Southern Hemisphere, producing petrol, diesel, jet fuel, LPG and other products for South African markets. SAPREF was a joint venture of Shell and BP.

Registered name

South African Petroleum Refineries (Pty) Ltd (SAPREF)

Type

Private company (fuel import terminal, formerly a crude oil refinery)

Fields funded

Engineering, environmental science, finance, logistics and supply chain, and human resources

Website

sapref.com

From refinery to import terminal

In 2022 SAPREF’s shareholders decided to stop refining and turn the business into a full fuel import terminal, and the refinery assets were sold. SAPREF’s mission today is to operate its terminal facilities efficiently to ensure a reliable supply of liquid fuels to its shareholders’ markets across South Africa. The refinery’s closure was part of a wider trend that has left South Africa importing most of its refined fuel.

BursariesAfrica’s earlier guide and the provider record, checked in August 2026, still describe SAPREF as a refinery, so older adverts may not reflect how the business has changed.

How the terminal runs

SAPREF’s departments show the skills a fuel terminal needs. A health, safety, security and environment team manages risks and emergency response and supports ISO 9001 and 14001 accreditation. Engineering and Technical Services provides engineering, project and IT support, and Maintenance keeps assets reliable to international best practice. Operations schedules terminal capacity with shareholders and handles hydrocarbon accounting of every receipt and delivery.

SAPREF’s values put safety first, followed by respect, teamwork and ownership.

Learnerships, trainees and bursaries

SAPREF offers learnerships and apprenticeships for applicants with at least a D symbol in Matric Mathematics and Physical Science, recruiting in the third quarter of each year for the next year. SAPREF also runs an Administration Trainee Programme for local youth with disabilities, combining study with on-the-job training towards SAQA-aligned qualifications.

SAPREF contributes R1.7 million a year to its university bursary programme. Each bursary covers tuition, residence fees, books, meals and a monthly allowance, with vacation exposure to SAPREF’s operations, and feeds SAPREF’s graduate programme and internships. The provider record describes first- and second-year students in engineering, environmental science, finance, logistics and supply chain, and human resources.

How to research SAPREF

Watch SAPREF’s careers page from July for learnership adverts, and ask which degree fields the bursary funds now that SAPREF operates as a terminal. Durban South students should mention local ties.

Other fuel and energy funders appear in our chemical engineering bursaries guide.