Black-owned Nako accuses PetroSA and industry giants of sabotage

Company says actions reminiscent of state capture

- By Setumo Stone

Petroleum industry upstart Nako Energy has blown the lid off what it describe as “war-like tactics” and “monopolistic practices” by major oil and gas companies and implicated state-owned PetroSA in the alleged sabotage of black-owned businesses and the manipulation of critical industry contracts.

In a complaint to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, which recently surfaced due to lack of intervention since the letter landed on the desk of director-general Jacob Mbele in August last year, Nako Energy's co-founder, Nkosinathi Ngwenya, paints a harrowing portrait of a sector under siege - not by foreign interests but by a small cabal of multinational giants and their local enablers within state organs.

The allegations strike at the heart of transformation in South Africa's energy sector.

The letter details a pattern of exclusion, obfuscation, and outright sabotage.

Far from being given a fair chance to compete, Nako Energy alleges it has been subjected to scrutiny and contract manipulation designed to keep newcomers, and especially black entrepreneurs, out of the lucrative petroleum value chain.

"Every vessel we have imported has been met with what can only be described as war-like tactics, severely impacting our ability to function, turn a profit, and establish ourselves as a significant player in the industry," Ngwenya wrote.