electricity is unable to reach over 10% of the population. It is expected that shale gas would serve as an additional fossil fuel and would not replace the domestic use of coal or the extraction thereof. South Africa is largely dependent on foreign imports for crude-oil needs, with 70% being imported. Eskom Holdings Ltd. produces nearly all of South Africa’s electricity, but has struggled to meet demands. South Africa has experienced rolling blackouts as a result of energy infrastructure challenges, which disrupts crucial manufacturing and mining capabilities. According to recent research, a power generating capacity of 4,800 megawatts will be needed every five years for twenty years in order to keep up with rising energy demands in South Africa. While South Africa slowly moves towards fracking, American petroleum company Anadarko made an offshore discovery of a potentially very large natural gas reserve that could drive production in Mozambique, which could make it a potential competitor with South Africa. South Africa is already involved in Mozambique through domestic oil company Sasol, which is developing turbines powered by gas fields in the country. The economic benefits of fracking are claimed to be potentially immense. In a controversial study commissioned and paid for by Shell, one of the applicants to explore for shale gas in South Africa, developing one tenth of the estimated Karoo for fracking could generate 200 billion rand per year and create 700,000 jobs. Some characterize fracking as a more sustainable energy solution, avoiding the costs of emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, of which South Africa is considered one of the “worst offenders globally.” Proponents are eager to meet the South African promise to reduce harmful gas emissions by 34% by 2020. Controversy Opposition to hydraulic fracturing in South Africa led to the government-imposed moratorium on fracking in 2011. Since the moratorium has been lifted, opposition has continued. This has led to ongoing debate on what regulations will be imposed, who will enforce them, and how they will be enforced. However, many opponents continue to fight for comprehensively halting shale exploration in the Karoo. Economic concerns Some opponents of fracking in South Africa are skeptical of the economic benefits it may have. Some analysts have argued that the complicated process of pumping, purifying, and finding necessary materials (such as sand and water) needed for fracking activity imposes too many costs to make the venture profitable. Others are skeptical of