Jacob Maroga is no longer CEO of Eskom, the electricity parastatal said on Thursday.
“Mr Maroga’s resignation was clear and unambiguous and was accepted,” acting Eskom chairman Mpho Makwana told a media briefing at Megawatt Park, Eskom’s headquarters.
“However, the board recognised that this brought about uncertainty at Eskom,” he said.
Makwana said he and the board had been tasked with guiding the parastatal through difficult times until a new CEO and chairman had been appointed.
“Our key task is to ensure that Eskom continues to provide continuous secure electricity. It is also our task to help heal the organisation and to ensure that the pain some employees feel is replaced with a sense of belonging, a sense of price and team sprit,” Makwana said.
“Eskom relies on the resilience of its employees.”
He said Eskom was financially stable and the organisation was preparing for its important tariff application.
The announcement ended days of speculation about Maroga’s position at Eskom, following a power struggle between him and the former chairman of Eskom’s board, Bobby Godsell, who resigned earlier this week.
Makwana said he had held “extensive meetings” with Maroga. “The last meeting I had with him lasted most of yesterday [Wednesday]. It started around 11am and ended at 4.30pm. I’m satisfied that Mr Maroga has resigned and we now have to move on.”
Makwana said that if Maroga “still had doubts”, SA was a country where the rule of law operated. “Then we let the law take its course,” he said.
Asked if Maroga had received “a golden handshake,” he replied that the former CEO had resigned. “There is no golden handshake. He leaves like any other employee who has resigned.”
Makwana said the board had “all the documentation” surrounding Maroga’s resignation. “Eskom now doesn’t have a CEO and we are seeking one.”
Turning the appointment of a new chairman, he said this was the prerogative of the shareholder (government).
Asked why it had taken two weeks to comment on the issue of Maroga’s position, Makwana said that the board had tried to “solve the problem amicably”.
“Our steps were frustrated and yesterday [Wednesday] the board decided it had done all that could be done and we decided to move on.”
Asked about continuity, he explained that Eskom had senior staff in place to ensure that adequate operational support was in place.
Asked if Godsell would return to the board, Makwana said it was Godsell’s right to withdraw his resignation, “but this would have to be resolved between Godsell and the shareholder”.
According to Makwana, any large organisation such as Eskom, which has over 30 000 employees, would see the resignation of its CEO as an upheaval. “CEOs come and go all the time, and they leave their footprints. Mr Maroga has left a strong footprint as he has been with Eskom for over 15 years.” — Sapa