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Eskom board chairman Mpho Makwana resigns

Mteto Nyati, a former MTN South Africa and Altron CEO who is currently an Eskom board member, will be appointed as the board chair to replace Mpho Makwana.
Eskom board chairman Mpho Makwana resigns
Ray Mahlaka
By Ray Mahlaka
9 Oct 2023
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Eskom chairman Mpho Makwana has resigned, Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan announced on Monday.  

Mteto Nyati, a former MTN South Africa and Altron CEO who is currently an Eskom board member, will be appointed as the board chair to replace Makwana. 

https://youtu.be/hpTc16T-Oi8

An earlier version of a brief statement by the Public Enterprises Department said Nyati would be the interim board chair, which has since been corrected. 

Gordhan said that Makwana would step down at the Eskom annual general meeting, which is scheduled for the end of October. 

He did not disclose the reason behind Makwana’s exit, which comes one year after he was re-appointed to lead Eskom’s board. 

However, in the same statement, Makwana said his sudden departure was handled in a “positive” and “amicable” manner. 

“I am grateful for the opportunity afforded me by the government of the Republic of South Africa to serve a second term as chairperson of the board of directors of Eskom SOC Limited,” said Makwana, who first served as the board chair from 2009 to 2010. “I wish Eskom and its people success and thank its committed stewards for their unstinting efforts to revive the utility.”

Daily Maverick understands that the relationship between Gordhan and Makwana had broken down over the selection process for a new CEO to replace André de Ruyter. Makwana and his board colleagues had come up with nominations for a successor to De Ruyter, who left Eskom seven months ago. But it took four months for Gordhan to reject the Eskom board’s nominations for a successor to De Ruyter, pushing the board to start from scratch.

Gordhan said the work to restructure Eskom and appoint new leadership was ongoing.

“Our efforts to stabilise Eskom and restructure it into three subsidiaries - generation, transmission and distribution - remain on track. As a government, we are committed to ensuring that Eskom has the right skills, talent and experience to support our pursuit of a more secure energy future for South Africans,” he said. DM

Comments (3)

Samantha Vandersteen Oct 11, 2023, 10:10 AM

"As a government, we are committed to ensuring that Eskom has the right skills, talent and experience..." Since when?

Fuad XXX Oct 10, 2023, 01:44 PM

I have a suggestion please - sincerely apologize to Mr Andre De Ruyters & make him an offer he can not refuse - he has been right all along & importantly there is(was? - fat chance) corruption at Eskom. Investigate those who wants to hang him out to dry. They got the cause.

Hilary Morris Oct 10, 2023, 10:26 AM

How sad it is that the overwhelming majority of these comments come from the ranks of the irrelevant. The level of frustration we feel has reached new heights with every failure of ANC rule - and God knows - failure is their strongest suit. Given the impact on every aspect of South African life, it is difficult to rise above the anger and look at the bigger picture. The current situation in Israel, horrific beyond imagining, contains perhaps, a hint of our own history. To expect the oppressed, (and in our case under-educated) to recover in a mere 30 years, and to possess the skills, knowledge and experience to run complex organisations and institutions, let alone govern, is unrealistic. Equally so, again sadly, to expect feedback from the former oppressors to be welcome, is probably equally so. And this is not intended to overlook the many competent people who have emerged. We are all co-contributors to this unholy f%*kup and until we can ALL rise above it and truly work together, nothing is likely to improve in a hurry. And all of that in no way lessens frustration with the corruption, fraud and greed that characterizes this government.

Ritchie Morris Oct 10, 2023, 12:58 PM

Well said Hilary Morris. Thank you.