Sasol said its new dividend policy is to pay a third of what it terms "core" headline earnings per share (HEPS)‚ which exclude one-off and non-cash items such as impairments and expenses booked to Khanyisa.
Core HEPS declined by 6% to R36.03 while diluted HEPS fell 22% to R27.27.
Synthetic fuel production from its Secunda plant declined by 3% during the financial year due to technical glitches.
"Overall‚ our operational performance was satisfactory‚ however‚ unplanned Eskom electricity supply interruptions and two internal outages at Secunda synfuels operations‚ negatively impacted volumes‚" co-CEO Bongani Nqwababa said in the results statement.
Sasol benefited from a higher oil price. "The average Brent crude oil price moved 28% higher compared to the prior year and‚ since December 2017‚ spot prices have moved closer to the $75 a barrel mark‚ which positively impacted our results‚" Sasol said.
-BusinessLIVE