Sasolburg

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Sasolburg is a large industrial town in the Free State province of South Africa.

The town was established in the 1950s in order to provide housing and facilities for Sasol (South African Coal, Oil and Gas) employees. The initial installation was a pilot plant to refine oil from coal, due to the lack of petroleum reserves. The coal reserves of the country were and still are extensive. The political developments of the late 1960s and early 1970s (specifically the trade embargoes against the country) made the operation of the pilot plant a priority. Plans were made for a production plant to be built in the Eastern Transvaal to produce approximately 25% of the national requirements. The new town of Secunda was built to house the construction and operations staff of what became known as SASOL 2.

Sasolburg was the subject of an attack by Umkhonto we Sizwe - the African National Congress's military wing - in 1980. Ultimately the attack was more important for its value as "armed propaganda" than of strategic economic significance.

Sasolburg is at a high altitude, which gives the town a very dry climate. It is situated on the Vaal river, which separates the Free State from what was formerly the province of Transvaal, and is not far from the Vaal dam where excellent windsurfing spots can be found.

When the Free State Province was still known as Orange Free State, the motor vehicle registration prefix for Sasolburg was OIL.