Public Enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan has announced that Eskom chairperson Mpho Makwana will step down from both his positions on the power utility’s board at the end of this month.
Gordhan made the announcement in a brief statement on Monday night saying that Makwaha “has decided to step down as the chairperson and non-executive director” of the Eskom Board at the annual general meeting scheduled for the end of October.
Makwana, appointed a year ago, is the shortest-serving chairperson of Eskom to date.
Non-executive director Mteto Nyati will be appointed chairperson of the board.
Nyati is the former CEO of Altron and MTN South Africa. He stepped down from the Nedbank board last week citing "increased capacity constraints".
Gordhan said Makwana will use the remainder of October to hand over to Nyati.
He did not provide a reason for his resignation, although the two have previously had disagreements regarding the selection of a new CEO for Eskom ever since Andre de Ruyter’s controversial departure.
Makwana and the board recommended former Eskom head of group capital Dan Marokane for the position in May but several months later, according to News24, Gordhan wrote to the board stating that in terms of the company's memorandum of incorporation, it was required to submit a shortlist of three candidates.
However, Makwana’s departure from Eskom is said to be amicable, according to the statement.
“We wish to thank Mr Makwana for his contribution during the most difficult time for Eskom. We wish him well in his future endeavours,” Minister Gordhan said.
“Our efforts to stabilise Eskom and restructure it into three subsidiaries – generation, transmission, and distribution – remain on track.
“As 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,” Gordhan said.
Makwana expressed his gratitude for his time at Eskom.
“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.” Makwana said.
“I wish Eskom and its people success and thank its committed stewards for their unstinting efforts to revive the utility.
“I thank the Minister for the positive, amicable manner upon which we conclude my tenure,” he said.
