Former Eskom chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer has parted ways with the embattled power utility . (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Former Eskom chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer has parted ways with the embattled power utility by “mutual agreement”. The shocking news that he would leave the utility on 31 July was announced on Monday evening in a statement.
“Eskom expresses gratitude to Mr Jan Oberholzer for his dedicated service, expertise and valuable contributions during his tenure. We wish him well in his future endeavours,” Eskom said.
Oberholzer retired at the end of April 2023 but stayed on as a contractor to provide support for the ongoing projects at Koeberg nuclear power station and the coal-fired Kusile station. He served the utility for more than 30 years.
The termination of his contract comes after Oberholzer came under fire for his involvement in a controversial deal worth R500 million for the emergency procurement of security services from Fidelity.
Last month, the utility said it was investigating the contract, which also saw Eskom’s head of security Karen Pillay suspended.
Pillay allegedly played a central role in putting together the scope of the Fidelity contract, using information from intelligence reports compiled by George Fivaz Forensic & Risk, which were requested by Eskom former chief executive, André de Ruyter.
The contract was allegedly approved without offering other security companies the opportunity to bid for the work. Eskom admitted to the Mail & Guardian last month that the contract was awarded to Fidelity without a competitive tender process.
Oberholzer allegedly authorised the contract without thorough investigation.
Many trade unions and parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) last month called for his head over his involvement in the Fidelity contract. Chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa and other Scopa members called for him to be placed on precautionary suspension as Pillay had been.
The Mail & Guardian last month reported that the utility had been contemplating cutting ties with Oberholzer.
“His involvement in the Fidelity contract and his inability to red-flag it has caused the board to be uncertain about his future at the utility,” one source said at the time.
Last month, Eskom confirmed that it had signed a two-year contract with Oberholzer to oversee key projects at Koeberg and Kusile.
On Monday, Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said he was “very, very worried” that the Koeberg refurbishments had fallen behind schedule, which could result in higher stages of load shedding continuing into 2024.
Mandisa Nyathi is a climate reporting fellow, funded by the Open Society Foundation for South Africa.