The President was delivering the Opening of Parliament Address (OPA) at the Cape Town City Hall on Thursday evening.

South Africa bears a climatic advantage which allows the country to draw energy from, among others, the sun and the wind. Added to that, the country boasts the critical presence of rare earth minerals needed for renewable energy technologies.

“As we undertake a just transition towards renewable energy, South Africa must create a green manufacturing sector centred on the export of green hydrogen and associated products, electric vehicles and renewable energy components.

“We have seen, for example, how the Northern Cape has already attracted billions of Rands of investment in renewable energy projects. South Africa is undergoing a renewable energy revolution that is expected to be the most significant driver of growth and job creation in the next decade and beyond,” the President said.

Government has also worked hard to open the door to renewable energy independent power producers to take up projects to not only strengthen the grid but create employment opportunities as well.

“We already have a huge pipeline of renewable energy projects, representing over 22 500 MW of new generating capacity, estimated to be worth around R400 billion in new private investment. Investments such as these will create many jobs.

“Just this week, we saw the largest-ever private energy project connect to the grid near Lichtenburg in the North West, with over 390 000 solar panels that will add 256 MW to the grid. 

“We will see more of these projects taking shape across our country in the months and years to come. As these investments reach fruition more jobs will be created,” he said.