Two new bosses for Eskom

 ·17 Jan 2025

Eskom, South Africa’s state-owned power utility, has completed its efforts to bolster its executive leadership by appointing Dr Candice Hartley as Chief People Officer and Mr Rivoningo Mnisi as Group Executive: Renewables.

Eskom said these strategic appointments aim to enhance Eskom’s capacity to execute its ambitious goals more efficiently and effectively.

Dr. Candice Hartley, Chief People Officer

Dr. Candice Hartley, an accomplished Human Resources (HR) executive with two decades of experience, steps into the role of Chief People Officer.

Her career spans the financial, industrial, information technology, and fast-moving consumer goods sectors, making her well-suited to address Eskom’s workforce challenges in a competitive marketplace.

A central focus of Hartley’s mandate is to ensure Eskom has the skills and human capital practices needed to support its strategic objectives.

She is also tasked with aligning workforce plans to Eskom’s broader strategy and driving the adoption of technology across the organisation to modernize operations.

Hartley’s extensive professional background includes senior roles at prominent organisations such as KPMG South Africa, AECI, British American Tobacco, Pernod Ricard, Lenovo, Barloworld, Standard Bank, and South African Breweries.

Additionally, she founded Mwangaza Advisory, a consulting firm specialising in bespoke people strategies aligned with organisational goals.

Her academic credentials are equally impressive. She holds an MBA and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Pretoria, a BA (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Johannesburg, and a PhD in Commerce from the University of Cape Town.

With her expertise, Hartley is poised to lead transformative change within Eskom’s HR domain.

Mr. Rivoningo Mnisi, Group Executive: Renewables

Rivoningo Mnisi, an expert in digitalisation, innovation, and sustainability, brings over 20 years of experience to his role as Group Executive of renewables.

His appointment reflects Eskom’s commitment to transitioning to cleaner energy sources and expanding its renewable energy footprint.

Mnisi’s primary focus will be on building Eskom’s renewable energy business to be a key player in South Africa’s energy transition.

His immediate priorities include advancing a pipeline of at least 2GW of clean energy projects by 2026 and leading the development of over 20GW of clean energy initiatives aligned with Eskom’s emissions reduction strategy.

Before joining Eskom, Mnisi served as Chief Strategy Officer at Exxaro and held positions at Anglo American.

His academic qualifications include a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Johannesburg, a BSc (Hons) in Applied Science from the University of Pretoria, and an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS).

He is also an active contributor to the World Economic Forum’s Chief Strategy Officers Community for the Global Mining and Metals Industry.

Eskom’s Strategic Goals for the Next 36 Months

In June 2024, Eskom outlined an ambitious strategy to improve operations, increase efficiency, and support South Africa’s energy transition. The utility’s key initiatives for the next three years include:

  1. Boosting Energy Availability: Raising the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) to 70% within 12 to 36 months.
  2. Adding Capacity to the Grid: Returning over 2.5GW of capacity to the grid by March 2025 and developing an initial pipeline of at least 2GW of clean energy projects by 2026.
  3. Enhancing Efficiency: Re-baselining the cost trajectory and improving operational efficiencies.
  4. Addressing Debt: Advocating for sustainable solutions to municipal debt challenges.
  5. Unbundling Operations: Delivering the separation of Eskom’s Distribution and Generation divisions to streamline operations.
  6. Advancing the Just Energy Transition: Accelerating initiatives to support a fair and equitable energy transition.

Eskom Group Chief Executive Dan Marokane emphasised that these efforts are geared towards ensuring long-term energy security, growth, and sustainability.


Read: Massive R2,000 electricity bill shock for South Africans

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