JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – 30 October 2009: Eskom offices in Sandton, Johannesburg. (Photo by Gallo Images/Charles Gallo)
Eskom shortlists three candidates for CEO: One is a familiar face
South Africa’s power utility is desperate to fill the void.
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – 30 October 2009: Eskom offices in Sandton, Johannesburg. (Photo by Gallo Images/Charles Gallo)
Eskom may be haemorrhaging funds and stuck in major debt, but that hasn’t stopped the utility from shortlisting three people for the job of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Former Eskom CEO Jacob Maroga was named as one of the possible candidates.
As reported by Bloomberg, three people who are familiar with the process also revealed that the power company mentioned Andy Calitz. The second candidate knows Eskom from the inside as he’d started his career as an electrical engineer with them.
Two shortlisted candidates were employed by Eskom
The sources didn’t identify the third person on the list because that information hasn’t gone public yet. A spokeswoman for Calitz declined to comment on the shortlisting and neither did Eskom.
Maroga didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither he nor Calitz have been involved with the utility for about a decade or longer.
Maroga worked as the utility’s CEO from 2007 to 2009. In 2010, Eskom allowed him to resign, but the former CEO turned around and claimed he’d been unlawfully dismissed.
He then went ahead and filed an unsuccessful application for reinstatement. His counterpart is a former CEO of LNG Canada which he joined after working for the power utility.
Calitz later held various senior posts at Royal Dutch Shell which he joined in 1996. He is a global leader in the oil & gas energy sector.
The current acting CEO
Eskom had been looking for a new CEO since Phakamani Hadebe left in July becoming the 10th person to vacate the post in as many years. Chairman Jabu Mabuza is currently the acting CEO until a permanent appointment is made.
On 2 August 2019, applications closed for the daunting position. Earlier in the month, Eskom held interviews and the government, Eskom’s primary shareholder, will ultimately make the appointment.
Who applied for the CEO post
According to another person with direct knowledge on the situation, one candidate who applied was Dan Marokane, Eskom’s former head of group capital. Brian Dames, former Eskom CEO; and Mark Barnes, former CEO of the SA Post Office were said to have also applied for the position.
So far, Eskom is sitting on R450bn of debt and a new and capable candidate will hopefully change their situation around. Currently, the recruitment process is still underway and an announcement will be made on the appointment by October 31.
