Marokane starts the toughest job in South Africa – here’s what he’ll tackle in the first 100 days at Eskom
Eskom’s board has announced the arrival of Eskom Group Chief Executive Dan Marokane, who officially assumes his role today.
At a time when Eskom faces an existential challenge, he rejoins the organization that is undergoing significant changes, requiring hands-on and decisive leadership.
Eskom Board Chairman Mteto Nyati expressed confidence in Marokane’s abilities, as well as in the leadership and staff of Eskom, emphasising their collective commitment to turning the organisation around.
“We expect Dan and his leadership team to accomplish at least two critical tasks. First, they must address the current business challenges. Loadshedding must become a thing of the past.
“Second, they need to reposition and restructure Eskom to enable growth and sustainability,” said Nyati.
As Marokane takes the helm, the Eskom Board has asked him to prioritise several key areas in the first 100 days, and these are:
- Assessing the Generation Operational Recovery Plan
- Reviewing Eskom’s unbundling plans
- Engaging with internal and external stakeholders
These first 100 days are crucial for helping him gain necessary insights about Eskom and the industry, the group said.
Eskom said that Morakane will not be engaging the media in these 100 days, noting that he will only be “in a position to engage” after the critical period.
“Dan has the full support of the Eskom Board. Eskom employees are excited to welcome him back into the organisation. We invite all South Africans to rally behind him as he steers Eskom toward stability, reliability and sustainability,” added Nyati.
Marokane returns to Eskom after an almost year-long search for a candidate.
Marokane is an engineer who was previously Eskom’s head of group capital and served as CEO of troubled sugar producer Tongaat Hulett since March 2023.
He and three other senior executives were previously suspended from Eskom following an ethical stand they took against state capture, fraud and corruption.
Returning to Eskom, the CEO will face an uphill battle facilitating the process of reviving the utility and navigating various political minefields months before South Africa votes in national elections.
The country will be looking to Marokane to decisively deal with the energy crisis and load shedding – something which all of his predecessors have failed to do.
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