South Africa's Petroleum Agency's dual role as promoter and licensor of oil and gas creates conflicts of interest that marginalize communities, undermine constitutional rights and deepen the climate crisis.
South Africa's public institutions are meant to serve the public interest, protect constitutional rights and act as guardians of the common good. Yet in the country's approach to oil and gas, one institution stands out to embody a deep contradiction: the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA).
Dice have a dual role which would raise alarm bells in any democratic system. It is tasked with promoting and facilitating oil and gas exploration and production, and also acts as a gatekeeper for licenses and permits.
In fact, the same entity that markets South Africa as “open to exploration” also evaluates whether companies should be allowed to drill, conduct seismic surveys or extract hydrocarbons. This arrangement has now been further strengthened by the Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Act 23 of 2024 (UPRDA)Which formalizes PASA as the primary regulatory authority while maintaining its promotional mandate.
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This is not some technical quirk of governance. This is a structural conflict of interest with far-reaching consequences for communities, ecosystems and SA’s climate commitments.
In practice, DICE acts less like an independent regulator and more like an investment promotion agency for the fossil fuel industry. Its 2025/2026 strategic position continues to emphasize “accelerated exploration” and…