The Angolan shelf system represents a highly productive ecosystem. Throughout the year the sea surface is cooler near the coast than further offshore. The lowest sea surface temperature (SST), strongest cross-shore temperature gradient, and maximum productivity occur in austral winter when seasonally prevailing upwelling-favourable winds are weakest. Here, we investigate the seasonal mixed layer heat budget to identify atmospheric and oceanic causes for heat content variability. By using different satellite and in situ data, we derive monthly estimates of surface heat fluxes, mean horizontal advection, and local heat content change. We calculate the heat budgets for the near-coastal and offshore regions separately to explore processes that lead to the observed SST differences. The results show that the net surface heat flux warms the coastal ocean stronger than further offshore, thus acting to damp spatial SST differences. Mean horizontal heat advection is dominated by meridional advection of warm water along the Angolan coast. However, its contribution to the heat budget is small. Ocean turbulence data suggest that the heat flux, due to turbulent mixing across the base of the mixed layer, is an important cooling term. This turbulent cooling, being strongest in shallow shelf regions, is capable of explaining the observed negative cross-shore temperature gradient. The residuum of the mixed layer heat budget and uncertainties of budget terms are discussed.