South Africa is dispatching a government delegation to the Strait of Hormuz as rising tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran continue to shake global oil markets and threaten fuel-importing economies.
Speaking during his department’s budget vote in Parliament, South Africa’s Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister, Gwede Mantashe, said the visit aims to help officials better understand the geopolitical forces surrounding the narrow maritime corridor that carries a substantial portion of the world’s oil supply.
Introducing his budget vote speech in the National Assembly, Mantashe said, "We have undertaken to visit the Strait of Hormuz to see what is magic about this strait, this small passage of oil, that destabilises the world."
The Strait of Hormuz, located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is considered the world’s most important oil chokepoint.
According to the International Energy Agency, nearly 15 million barrels of crude oil passed through the route daily in 2025, accounting for about 34% of global crude trade.
