The wait is on for Eskom’s new CEO
Eskom chairman Mpho Makwana says that the process of appointing a new chief executive for the embattled power utility is now in its final stages, with the decision sitting with the group’s main shareholder – the government.
Speaking to journalists at a media engagement on Thursday (24 August), Makwana said that the government was going through its processes in determining the new chief executive, and the Eskom board would wait for the final say, which is a simple “yes or no”, he said.
The chair said that the process has taken this long because extra care was being taken to do due diligence given the significance of the role, the politics surrounding the matter, as well as the “painful lessons” from the past in dealing with the previous group executive.
“Your guess is as good as ours as to when we will be able to announce, given the need for this enhanced due diligence,” he said.
Eskom has been without a chief executive since former CEO, Andre de Ruyter, left the position earlier than expected in February 2023. Several names emerged as candidates for the vacant chief executive position at Eskom – including Ayanda Noah, Dan Marokane, and Vally Padayachee.
De Ruyter announced his exit from Eskom in December 2022 and was expected to stay on until the end of April 2023.
However, the former chief executive was forced to curtail his notice period following his infamous interview in February, where he made sweeping allegations of corruption at the power utility, implicating as yet unnamed senior politicians.
De Ruyter also cited the loss of political and board support at the company as the key reasons for his exit.
The new Eskom board was appointed in October 2022 with Makwana at the helm. De Ruyter alleged that the new board took an operational role at the group and alienated the executive team from their functions.
Eskom has had a troubled history with its CEOs, having appointed 11 different chief executives since load shedding started in 2007.
Load shedding first hit the country in 2007 under Jacob Maroga, who eventually left in 2009. Maroga’s successor, Brian Dames, oversaw five years of no load shedding between 2009 and 2013, before rolling blackouts struck again in 2014.
This gave way to Collin Matjila, then Tshediso Matona in 2014 and 2015, followed by brief stints by controversial CEOs Brian Molefe and Matshela Koko in 2016.
Eskom next saw Johnny Dladla and Sean Maritz take the helm in 2017, before Phakamani Hadebe and Jabu Mabuza took charge in 2018 and 2019.
De Ruyter was appointed in 2020.
Read: South Africa’s biggest cities are in deep trouble with Eskom
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