By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Cabinet has approved the submission of the draft Gas Bill 2025, to Parliament for further processing.
Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the Bill sought to repeal the Gas Act of 2001 and introduce a modernised legislative framework that reflected recent technological developments in gas transportation and storage.
Ntshavheni, briefed members of the media on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held on Friday, 05 December 2025.
Through the proposed legislation, government aimed to introduce empowering provisions for the centralised planning of new gas facilities, particularly the transmission and regasification infrastructure needed to import and transport gas.
“The Bill also addresses challenges experienced in the implementation and enforcement of the current Act by positioning South Africa to better manage its gas resources and infrastructure in line with global best practices and national energy priorities,” she said.
Also included in the Bill were provisions equipping the National Energy Regulator of South Africa to set, monitor and regulate distribution tariffs, regulate the registration regime and determine licence periods.
Cabinet also approved Critical Minerals Strategy Implementation Plan, which claims it will significantly contribute to economic growth and job creation.
In May, Cabinet approved the Critical Minerals and Metals Strategy for South Africa, which listed platinum, manganese, iron-ore, chrome ore, and more controversially coal, as “high-critical minerals”, while gold, vanadium, palladium, rhodium, and rare earth elements were characterised as being of moderate to high criticality.