Pravin Gordhan announces Mpho Makwana as chair of new Eskom board

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has announced that Mpho Makwana has been appointed as new chairperson of the Eskom board.

Gordhan was addressing the media during a virtual briefing on Friday to announce measures to strengthen governance at Eskom.

Gordhan faced a barrage of questions in Parliament from MPs this week about issues at the ailing parastatal and the chronic load shedding that South Africa has experienced.

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New Eskom board

Gordhan said the new board was approved on Friday after a cabinet briefing.

Makwana is currently the Independent Non-Executive Chairman of JSE-listed Arcelor Mittal South Africa Limited as well as chairperson of the Nedbank group.

He is no stranger to Eskom, having previously first served as a Non-Executive Director of the state-owned entity between 2002 and 2011.

Former Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali was also appointed to the board.

Eskom’s new board members:

1. Mr. Mpho Makwana (Chairperson)
2. Dr Busisiwe Vilakazi
3. Mr. Lwazi Goqwana
4. Mr. Clive Le Roux
5. Mr. Leslie Mkhabela
6. Mr. Mteto Nyati
7. Ms Fathima Gany
8. Ms Ayanda Mafuleka
9. Dr Tsakani Mthombeni
10. Dr Claudelle von Eck
11. Ms Tryphosa Ramano
12. Mr. Bheki Ntshalintshali

Gordhan said Dr Rod Crompton will be retained on the Eskom Board of Directors to ensure continuity.

“The executive directors will be the CEO, Mr Andre de Ruyter, and the CFO, Mr Calib Cassim. The new board brings broad experience, expertise and skills that will provide stability and strategic direction to the entity. Their task will be to reposition Eskom to play a key role in the energy sector.”

The new 13-member board assumes its role from Saturday, 1 October.

Duties

Gordhan said the incoming board must deal with the current load shedding issues, procurement, elimination of corruption and ensuring that there is reliabe energy supply in the medium to long term.

“This board is the accounting authority – it is responsible for evaluating the current performance of Eskom, and to account to the shareholder, which is the Department of Public Enterprises.” 

Gordhan said with the Energy Availability Factor below 60% – the board will now have to make solving that, and getting it up above 70%, which is one of its key roles. 

Load shedding

On Wednesday Eskom announced that that load shedding will continue at stage 4 on Friday but will then be reduced to stage 3 over the weekend following the delivery of diesel.

Spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsa said the reduction in load shedding after diesel started at PetroSA’s facility in Mossel Bay.

“Transferring the fuel to the Gourikwa and Akerlig Open Cycle Gas Turbine stations will take place throughout the weekend to replenish by Monday.”

“Eskom will also use the weekend to replenish the dam levels at the pumped storage schemes, which have been utilised extensively to complement generation capacity,” Mantshantsa said

Gordhan said its likely stage 4 will continue into next week

Disrupt operations

Gordhan said there are still active efforts to disrupt operations at power stations. 

“There is a deliberate climate of resistance. We cannot have a situation where there are people who stand on platforms and demand growth, and then, on the other hand, undermine those efforts.”

“Clearly some issues need to be addressed within the capability of Eskom, but what is important is that the full might of the state needs to be applied so that these kinds of miscreants don’t succeed,” Gordhan said.

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