Sasolburg and Secunda are large industrial sites that have spawned their own towns. Sasolburg is located in the far north of the Free State province, just below the Gauteng City-region. Secunda is located in Mpumalanga, to the east of Gauteng. Both towns were established to house and provide facilities for Sasol workers, with Sasol’s industrial operations still dominating economic activity in both. Whilst these facilities impact their towns and surrounding areas most directly in terms of employment and health, the products they produce are marketed to and consumed in South Africa and beyond.

Linked economic activities similarly involve people as owners, financiers, workers and consumers. The histories of the Sasolburg and Secunda assets are intertwined with that of the country, Apartheid, the modern industrial project and inequality, all providing social context to the decarbonisation challenge.