Madam Deputy Speaker, the choice of South Africa's future energy path is one of the biggest determinants of our country's economic success or failure, with investments in the new generation plant locking us in for the next 30 to 40 years. It is, therefore, vital that all factors are considered when making these decisions, including such priorities as job creation, industrial policy, environmental concerns, effects on our balance of payments and energy affordability.
The ID, therefore, calls for a review of Eskom's current board programme as we don't believe that Eskom should be allowed to solely determine our country's future on this issue.
At the moment the public is being held to ransom by Eskom, with its demand for a blank cheque for its expansion plans. As a country, we need to decide on both what these expansion plans should include and the manner in which they should be funded.
Once again, Eskom has shown no commitment to renewable energy by using the present financial crisis as an excuse to cancel its solar and wind energy projects. Its concentrated solar power project has, however, been on the drawing board for over 10 years and the board has never chosen to allocate the funds to it.
Its record on energy efficiency is equally dismal, as evidenced by the poor performance of its solar water heater project. It is now time for the government and the nation as a whole to thoroughly debate our energy future and ensure that Eskom is not given free rein to make choices that will affect all of us for decades to come. I thank you.