Eskom chair calls it quits

Eskom Chairperson Mpho Makwana will step down from his role.

The news was announced by public enterprises Pravin Gordhan, who said that Makwana will resign as Chairperson and non-executive director at the end of October.

Mteto Nyati will be appointed as the interim Chairperson of the board, with Makwena using the next few weeks to ensure a smooth transition between the two.

Nyati was previously the CEO of ICT firm Altron and MTN’s South African subsidiary.

He, like Makwana, was also a member of the Nedbank board but left that position last Friday, 6 October.

Fighting over CEO replacement

The resignation of Makwana comes amid a serious challenge to finding a permanent replacement for former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter.

Gordhan rejected the board’s recommendation for CEO, stating that he needed three names and not a sole candidate.

Although Eskom initially sent three names, City Press reported that the board “corrected” to one sole name.

Several sources at Eskom and the political sphere said that political interference took place, as the board recommended Eskom manager Dan Marokane, who also has the support of the Eskom unions, while the political leaders wanted Central Energy Fund board chair, Ayanda Noah.

Speculation said that the entire process had to restart, leaving the board in a challenging position.

Although Eskom has a current interim CEO in Calib Cassim, the group’s CFO, his contract ends at the end of December.

Gordhan recently suggested that Eskom will likely name a permanent Eskom CEO later this year, but this was before Makwana’s resignation.

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