Dan Marokane has been appointed as the new CEO of Eskom. Photo: X/@CueSibiya
Industry experts have urged incoming Eskom chief executive Dan Marokane to hold firm against political interference to set the beleaguered state power utility on a path to recovery.
Marokane will take over the reins at Eskom from 1 March, after his predecessor André de Ruyter announced at the end of 2022 that he was stepping down, citing political interference and a lack of support by government ministers. The utility has been without a full-time chief executive for a year, with Calib Cassim acting in the position.
Forensic investigator Calvin Rafadi said it was important for Marokane to guard against corruption and attempts at undue influence from political ministers close to Eskom.
Eskom’s leadership has struggled with political interference for the past decade or so, with a number of board chairpersons and chief executives quitting. This has resulted in leadership instability and prolonged Eskom’s decline.
In his book Leadership for Transformation since the Dawn of South Africa’s Democracy, former Eskom board chairperson Malegapuru Makgoba said although political involvement with Eskom was inevitable, the extent of interference and micromanagement from politicians had been concerning.
Speaking to the Mail & Guardian, former Eskom chief executive Matshela Koko said Marokane’s focus should be on stabilising the energy availability factor and the grid by ensuring that the system operator is also protected from political influence.
“The stakes are higher now, and the CEO must protect the system’s operator who is responsible for ensuring that load-shedding takes place when it has to, to protect the grid,” said Koko, who has been cleared of corruption after his case was struck off the roll by the Middelburg specialised commercial crimes court.
“This is important because if Eskom gives in to the pressure of politicians by refusing to implement power cuts as planned, it will risk having a blackout.”
His comments come after ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula unleashed criticism of Eskom last week on X (formerly Twitter), saying the reintroduction of stage six load-shedding was clear sabotage against the ruling party ahead of the elections. Mbalula called for extra security measures to prevent it from happening again.
Marokane takes up his new job at a time the utility is in a better position, with unit two at the Kusile power station and unit two at the Koeberg nuclear power station rejoining the grid, returning much-needed electricity.
Kusile’s unit one was synchronised to the grid late last year and is set to add 800 megawatts of electricity. Koeberg’s unit was synchronised last November after almost a year’s delay. Koeberg’s second unit will be synchronised on 30 September.
“The new CEO will be spoiled for choice because there is enough baseload capacity expected in the next six months. It all boils down to management solutions. You can’t throw good money over a management problem,” Koko said.
Baseload capacity refers to the minimum amount of power needed to meet the essential electricity demand of a region.
Koko urged Marokane to focus on addressing the engineering problems in Eskom’s generation arm.
Eskom plunged the country back into stage six load-shedding earlier this month, citing setbacks caused by generating units being taken out of service because of boiler tube trouble. The problems Eskom is grappling with are multifaceted, ranging from financial instability to ageing infrastructure and operational inefficiencies.
South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi) chief executive Titus Mathe said the entity would support Marokane in addressing the country’s energy security crisis by providing its pool of specialist engineers and scientists for support.
“This network will be readily available to provide technical assistance and support to Mr Marokane’s team as they work towards Eskom’s revitalisation,” Mathe said in a statement.
He called on the government to exploit all baseload energy sources, including “cleaner” fossil fuels and extend the life of coal-fired power stations, adding that all stakeholders must do everything in their power to support Eskom’s technical recovery and the introduction of new electricity capacity.