Deputy Minister Samantha Graham-Maré: 2026 State of the Nation Address Debate

Mr President, Mr Deputy President, Honourable Speaker, Honourable Members,

Energy is the lifeblood of our economy. It is essential to growth, job creation, and dignity. Which is why the DA has consistently supported the establishment of a competitive, liberalised electricity market that expands access, lowers costs, and strengthens South Africa’s industrial competitiveness.

We therefore welcome the President’s clear endorsement of this policy direction and his commitment to keeping key energy reforms on track. The Energy Regulation Amendment Act provides a clear legal framework to unbundle and transform Eskom.

This will not be easy, nor will it be quick, but it provides a clear pathway toward a modern and sustainable energy system. I have full confidence in Team Energy: Minister Ramokgopa, departmental officials, and the leadership and staff of Eskom, SANEDI, NERSA, NECSA, NRWDI, and the NNR, to drive implementation. Our shared responsibility is to translate national commitments into practical, measurable progress.

This year will see continued rollout of renewable energy projects and the launch of the South African Wholesale Electricity Market. Alongside this, we are focusing on pragmatic industrialisation, expanded skills

development, stronger municipal energy systems, and scaled-up energy efficiency and demand-side management.

Together, these are building a modern energy system that supports growth, job creation, and our long-term climate commitments. 

Honourable Speaker,

These reforms also create a major opportunity to localise new energy value chains and build domestic manufacturing capacity. Cabinet’s adoption of the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan, or SAREM, directly links the energy transition to industrial development.

This is not simply a planning framework. It is an implementation platform. Workstreams focused on manufacturing development, skills, and investment mobilisation are now operational. They are aligning public and private sector stakeholders around priority industrial opportunities, and translating policy direction into investable manufacturing pathways.

Industry has identified more than 4 000 components across renewable energy value chains that could potentially be manufactured locally. This provides a clear roadmap for strengthening domestic industrial capacity, while maintaining investment certainty.

Honourable Speaker,

As our reforms expand energy supply, we must expand access. Our G20 legacy programme on clean cooking is translating policy into practical delivery that directly improves lives. Clean cooking is about health, safety, dignity, and opportunity. To date, 1 000 cookstoves have been delivered to households in Mpumalanga, building on Eskom’s programmes targeting 3 000 households. Last-mile LPG infrastructure has been installed, and local small businesses trained to support rollout and maintenance. By year-end, we are targeting a Cabinet-approved national clean cooking roadmap, alongside implementation plans for every province based on a multi-fuel approach:

Electric, gas, and bioenergy.

Implementation is already under way. We are not waiting for plans to act. 

Honourable Speaker,

South Africa’s nuclear sector remains a strategic national asset, supporting energy security, advanced science, healthcare, skills development, and industrial capability. Our country continues to demonstrate global leadership in nuclear technology, including world-leading radioisotope production that supports life-saving medical treatment worldwide.

I am pleased to report continued clean audit outcomes across NECSA, NRWDI, and the NNR, which reflects sustained improvements in governance and financial management. NECSA has returned to profitability and is attracting R1,2 billion in investment (not grants) from National Treasury for the new Multi-Purpose Reactor. This will expand isotope production and strengthen South Africa’s position in global

nuclear medicine supply chains.

Together with future nuclear build programmes, this positions South Africa to develop a strong pipeline of technical skills and local manufacturing capability able to compete internationally.

Honourable Speaker,

We have made steady progress, but reform must continue. With commitment, partnership, and sustained implementation, we can build an energy system that supports growth, inclusion, and long-term national capability.

Let’s get to work.

Thank you.

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