On Wednesday, current CEO Phakamani Hadebe will vacate his office after he resigned in May over health concerns
29 July 2019 - 17:16 Lisa Steyn
Jabu Mabuza. Picture: SUNDAY TIMES
Eskom board chair Jabu Mabuza will take up the role of acting CEO of the troubled state-owned entity for the next three months, public enterprise minister Pravin Gordhan said on Monday.
In a statement, Gordhan said he had just informed the Eskom AGM of his decision to appoint Jabu Mabuza as the interim executive chair for Eskom and acting CEO of Eskom Holdings.
The announcement comes ahead of the release of Eskom’s annual results on Tuesday, where the struggling utility is expected to report record losses.
On Wednesday, current CEO Phakamani Hadebe will vacate his office after he resigned over health concerns.
This is not the first time an Eskom chair has been appointed to steer the parastatal while it searches for suitable permanent CEO. In 2009, then Eskom chair Mpho Makwana stepped in as acting CEO when Jacob Maroga resigned as head of the utility. Brian Dames took over the top job as a permanent appointee thereafter.
“Within the three month period during which Mr Mabuza will be the executive chairman and acting CEO, the Eskom board will conclude the process of identifying a suitable candidate to become the next Eskom Group CEO,” Gordhan said.
Mabuza, a successful entrepreneur, was also the chair of quasi state-owned enterprise Telkom before stepping down in February.
Although Hadebe resigned in May, Eskom only advertised the post a little more than a week ago.
