Chairperson, hon Minister, the ID would really like to support the Minerals and Energy budget. Unfortunately, it is impossible to do so when we see year in and year out lip service being paid to renewable energy without any substantial financial resources being dedicated to it.

The time has come to signal a break with the past and to start to position South Africa as a future world leader in renewable energy. The possibilities are there but we need to start dedicating serious resources to this field.

It is also unacceptable to the ID that we now intend to meet our already small renewable energy target by relying mainly on biofuels. Biofuels can certainly form part of a future energy mix but that cannot replace the need for technology such as solar, wind, wave and a whole host of others.

Let us embrace the future and start positioning South Africa at the forefront of the renewable energy revolution. It is only then that the ID would support the budget. I thank you.