Pretoria - Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan announced the new Eskom board on Friday, naming Mpho Makwana as the new chairperson.
Makwana previously served as a non-executive director of Eskom between 2002 and 2011.
At least 12 seasoned energy specialists, some with more than 20 years of experience, have re-entered the Eskom system to assist with operations.
The previous board was dissolved following public pressure to appoint personnel who possess the necessary engineering expertise to end load shedding.
The other new board members include Dr Busisiwe Vilakazi, Lwazi Goqwana, Clive le Roux, Leslie Mkhabela, Mteto Nyati, Fatima Gany, Ayanda Mafuleka, Dr Tsakani Mthombeni, Dr Claudelle von Eck, Tryphosa Ramano and Bheki Ntshalintshali.
Eskom CEO André de Ruyter and CFO Calib Cassim will be executive members of the board.
Gordhan said the new board will deal with immediate current load-shedding issues, procurement, elimination of corruption and ensuring that there is a reliable energy supply in the medium to long term.
“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,’’ he said.
Energy expert David Lipschitz said he was not convinced that Makwana is the right candidate for the position.
“It looks like he’s on 10 boards at the moment. Eskom needs dedicated people that are full-time employed, not just an executive such as the CEO, the CFO, the COO.
“They need a chairperson who is a full-time person, he should be working full-time in Eskom,” Lipschitz said during an interview with eNCA.
Makwana currently sits on various boards. He is also the chairperson of Nedbank.
IOL