Speech
Cyril Ramaphosa  ·  2026-08-05 07:46

President Ramaphosa Officiates Ummbila Emoyeni Wind Energy Facility Commercial Operations.

Today represents more than the completion of an infrastructure project. This project underscores the value of partnership between government, escom the private sector, finance institutions and companies. And I want to commend the company that has built these turbines that have enabled this project to be where it is. I hear it is the largest turbine company in the world and we are very pleased that it is a company that is riding on the relationship that South Africa has with the People's Republic of China. It shows that South Africa's just energy transition is being realized through very practical actions that we are embarking upon. And now as a country we have committed to transition our society and economy along a lowcarbon climate resilient pathway that is in line with our domestic and international obligations. We have been clear that this transition should be just, should be inclusive and should leave no one behind. And in this project, we see the justness of it all where through the execution of this project, members of the community are seeing how they can benefit from the launching of an energy project where it did not exist before and where you the utilization of a natural endowment which is wind. We've been able to generate energy, but the energy that is part of our just transition that benefits even members of the community. And I met young people and middle-aged people who are now running very successful businesses from agriculture, agriculture, agroprocessing right through to infrastructure building and how they have become part of this just energy transition that we have embarked on.