Public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan has announced that Eskom chairman Mpho Makwana will step down from the state-owned electricity utility’s board at the end of October.

Mteto Nyati, a former CEO of Altron and MTN South Africa, will be appointed chairman at the same time, Gordhan said. Nyati resigned recently from the Telkom and Nedbank boards, citing pressure on his time.

“Mr Makwana will utilise the remainder of October to hand over to the new interim chairperson of the board,” the public enterprises department said in a statement. It did not say why Makwana was leaving.

“I thank the minister for the positive [and] amicable manner upon which we conclude my tenure,” Makwana said in the same statement. Gordhan thanked Makwana for his contribution “during the most difficult time for Eskom”.

“Our efforts to stabilise Eskom and restructure it into three subsidiaries — generation, transmission and distribution — remain on track,” said Gordhan. “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.”

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Makwana’s departure comes amid tensions between Gordhan and the Eskom board over the appointment of a new CEO to replace André de Ruyter. Gordhan has promised that a permanent CEO will be appointed by the end of this year.

The public enterprises department had earlier issued a statement that Nyati would be appointed as Eskom chairman on an interim basis. It later issued a second statement in which it clarified that Nyati’s appointment was not interim in nature. — (c) 2023 NewsCentral Media