Brian Molefe to return as Eskom CEO
Brian Molefe will on Monday return to his position as CEO of power utility, Eskom, following a decision by its board to rescind his application for early retirement.
Molefe resigned as CEO of Eskom at the end of 2016, following the release of the Public Protector’s State Capture report, in which he was implicated as having a close relationship with the controversial Gupta family.
A spokesperson for the group said that the board could not agree with Molefe on a mutually beneficial pension proposal.
Molefe had initially received a R30 million payout from Eskom despite only serving at the company for 18 months.
However, Public Enterprises minister, Lynne Brown, initially blocked that pay-out to Molefe, before granting the Eskom board more time to resolve the terms through a mutually beneficial consultation process with the CEO.
Eskom chairperson Ben Ngubane said on Thursday that the utility had reinstated Molefe’s contract of employment, which ends in September 2020. “The board was required to rescind its decision having regard to the minister’s concerns,” he reportedly said.
Molefe has been an ANC Member of Parliament (MP) for barely three months. Sunday is likely to be his last day as an MP.
Public Protector’s State Capture report contained phone call records, showing that Molefe and the Gupta brothers had made 58 phone calls to each other in a small window of time.
This was over and above allegations contained in the report that the Gupta family had received preferential treatment by Eskom, and were even ‘bailed out’ by the power utility, where Eskom funded the family’s acquisition of Optimum coal mines.
Molefe is expected to resign from his position as a Member of Parliament on Sunday, having been sworn in as a member of the ANC of the North West Province, in February.
Read: Eskom granted more time to reconsider Molefe’s pension pay-out
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