Eskom waits on cabinet for chief

150711. Sunset in Crownmines, Johannesburg. The picture can be used for Eskom energy supply crisis. Picture: Dumisani Sibeko

150711. Sunset in Crownmines, Johannesburg. The picture can be used for Eskom energy supply crisis. Picture: Dumisani Sibeko

Published May 16, 2014

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Johannesburg - The appointment of the new chief executive at Eskom was in limbo, pending the appointment of a new national cabinet, Mayihlome Tshwete, the spokesman for outgoing Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba, said yesterday.

Tshwete said: “The government is now floating until May 25 when the new cabinet is expected to be appointed. We are not deciding anything because of that.”

This means Collin Matjila will continue acting as chief executive. On his appointment, he resigned as chief executive of Kopano ke Matla, an investment arm of Cosatu.

He was appointed to lead the utility following the resignation of Brian Dames. The National Union of Mineworkers, the majority union at Eskom, has called for Matjila’s sacking due to unresolved governance matters that occurred during his tenure at Kopano.

Collins Chabane, the Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency, said President Jacob Zuma would unveil his new cabinet within a day or two of taking oath for a second term of office on May 24.

He said: “In view of queries we have received about the functioning of government in the period after the election, we wish to emphasise that it is work as usual for the national executive in terms of the constitution.”

Early last month Tshwete said that Eskom expected to appoint a new chief executive by the end of that month.

Gigaba said last month: “I am confident that in the next month or two, the board should be coming back to me saying this is who they are recommending, so that we can begin the process of consulting with [the] cabinet and make the announcement most probably in the first cabinet meeting after the election.”

Eskom chairman Zola Tsotsi was not available for comment.

Stephen Nhlapo, the head of campaigning and organising at the National Union of Metalworkers of SA, said Eskom’s board had been aware of the departure of Dames for a year but did nothing to recruit his replacement. He added that strategic positions such as finance chief were occupied by people in acting capacities.

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