Total South Africa’s history began in 1954 when a Frenchman traveled around the country and saw that there was a robust and viable agriculture sector.
He went back to his bosses in Paris, France and Total started operations by supplying the farmers with fuel. The fuel 
was delivered in drums to the train stations around the country from where the farmers had to collect it.
It was in 1956 that the first service station was opened in Sea Point, Cape Town. Today there are 560 service stations nationwide and growing. Total’s commercial and specialist portfolio offers an extensive range of products and services to core-sectors, namely construction & cement, agricultural, transport, food industries, commercial and mining markets.
Over the years, the Group has expanded internationally and diversified into gas, refining, petrochemicals and petroleum product marketing, as well as solar power, bio-energies and energy storage. It is active in 130 countries, employs 100 000 people and is committed to delivering better energy.
Total South Africa is 50.1 percent owned by France-based multinational Total and a Level 1 BBBEE contributor. It is an integral part of, and plays a significant role in, the international, world-class Total, where shared access to internationally acclaimed best practices, technological expertise and top-flight business innovations happen.
The brand provides clean, high performing fuel, both petroleum and diesel, liquid petroleum gas, greases, kerosene and lubricants for any application.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
The Code of Ethics offers detailed conduct guidelines that are implemented throughout every level and in every aspect of the company’s operation. Safety regarding operations, human health, respect for the environment and customer satisfaction will always remain a paramount priority.
Total with its affiliate, SUNPOWER was selected to build and operate one of Africa’s largest ground-mounted photovoltaic solar power plant in Prieska. The plant came on line in 2016 and supplies clean and sustainable energy to approximately 75 000 South African homes.
TOTAL SOUTH AFRICA CELEBRATES A 60-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL PARKS.
2018 marked the 60th year of Total South Africa and South African National Parks’ (SANParks) partnership. The two organizations entered this partnership in 1958, for Total South Africa to provide fuel services to all national parks around the country.
The partnership has seen the company not only establishing and operating 21 service stations but, over the years, Total has also contributed extensively to several environmental projects at SANParks, such as sponsorship of the Kudu Awards and SA National Parks Week.
The brand sponsors the annual SANParks Keep the Kruger Clean campaign, during which staff members, community members and school children from communities close to the Kruger National Park join forces for one full day to participate in a clean-up. Walk and Learn on the Wild Side (WALOW) is a project for school children in rural based schools who are studying Tourism in Grades 10 to 12. These learners spend one week in the Kruger National Park, learning about the importance of conservation.
During SANParks week in September every year, South Africans who are in possession of an SA ID book, can get free access to a SANpark of their choice. This opportunity encourages people who would not normally visit parks to explore new places, discover open spaces and enjoy affordable vacations in South Africa’s amazing natural environment, made possible by Total South Africa.
“Total South Africa is proud of this partnership and will continuously aim to raise awareness around environmental stewardship. As a responsible energy major, Total continues to play a role in environmental conservation. Construction is currently underway to convert Total service stations to run on solar power, and later this year service stations in the Kruger National Park will be solarized” said Pierre-Yves Sachet, Total South Africa’s CEO and Managing Director.
TOTAL COLLECTABLE POSTERS WITH AUGMENTED REALITY
Total South Africa launched the Total Collectable animal posters, in celebration of the diverse South African ecosystems and the beautiful wildlife therein. The posters not only serve as a form of entertainment for their audience, the youth, but as a means of education, which comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities. In order to get the youth (custodians of our natural earth) excited about these posters, an integrated augmented reality system that brings the animals to life was designed and implanted into the posters. Each of the six beautiful posters tells a story, depicting various biomes of specific areas within South Africa. The posters were designed to neatly arrange the animals atop a map or graph, which details and highlights a unique characteristic of each set of animals based on where in South Africa they come from;
• a graph depicting the lifespan of the animals of the Bushveld Parks
• a gradient detailing the speed of each of the animals of the Grassland Parks
• a concentric clock depicting the level of endangeredness of each of the animals in the Arid Parks
• a fountain which traces the original biome for each of the animals in the Eastern Parks
• a split-page graph that tells us what each of the animals in the Cape Parks eat
• a concentric measurement band which tells us how big each of the birds in the Bushveld Parks are.
The augmented reality can then be experienced by scanning a circular code on the corner of each poster, which involves a third dimension, through which the animals can be closely navigated and observed. Through the augmented reality you can also listen to the sound of the general ambience of each biome which further creates an immersive experience.
Investing in sustainable and eco-friendly business practices and initiatives
In recent years big business has realised its role to develop cleaner, more sustainable business practices and initiatives. Companies are expected to make a positive contribution to society, through efforts that work towards bettering the communities and the environments in which they operate.
THE PROMISE
The Total brand’s pay-off lines have changed over the years to relate to the dynamic environment that we live in. The present pay-off line; ‘Committed to Better Energy’ is rooted in the company’s vision to become the responsible energy major. In Total’s DNA lies the competitive strengths and sources of differentiation to adapt to market changes, while simultaneously fulfilling the brand’s ambition. Being committed allows to stay dedicated to a long-term vision and be considerate of the impact on the environment. The vision to supply better, cleaner and more affordable energy provides an opportunity to contribute to the economic, social and human development of people all around the world.
SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES
Total’s commitment to environmental stewardship filters through to its ‘Startupper of the Year by Total’ Challenge. More than just a business challenge, this competition calls on entrants to demonstrate how their environmentally sustainable projects empower people and contribute to the overall economic well-being of their community. The South African winner of the 2018-2019 challenge, Nonhlanhla Phalama, shares Total’s passion for sustainability and her ‘Davinon Hydroponics’ project demonstrates this.
Davinon Hydroponics aims to establish 50x30m hydroponics farms in rural schools and orphanages across the country. This socially-focused project is based on a model in which 30 percent of all profit is re-invested into the schools where the hydroponics farms are set up. This in turn enables these schools to improve their facilities and the quality of education on offer. This solar-based solution is targeted at rural communities, where there is little or no access to electricity. The re-use of water also minimises water consumption in water-scarce areas. The project will contribute towards sustainable employment, too, by creating opportunities for low- and semi-skilled individuals to be trained to operate the farms and supply produce to the surrounding communities and beyond
ARBOR MONTH CAMPAIGN
The Arbor Month Campaign is organized and implemented annually in September by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Total South Africa is the main sponsor.
This partnership has been in existence for over 13 years and the primary purpose of the campaign is to spread messages and emphasise the importance of protection, conservation and preservation of the country’s green heritage namely, forests, indigenous trees and trees outside forests. The campaign further promotes awareness of urban and rural greening initiatives, a better understanding of trees, highlights the important role trees play in sustainable development and the livelihoods of people and their environment and encourages communities to participate in various greening activities within their own surroundings.
The 2019 campaign saw chosen municipalities participating in intensive tree planting activities that involved the development of community parks and recreation activities at low-income housing units commonly known as RDP homes. At the end of September 2019, an estimated 3 500 trees of which more fruit trees than ornamental trees would have been distributed to households in selected localities.
