Nhlanhla Nene: Five things you didn't know about the new Finance Minister

Former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene favourite to chair Eskom board

Remember when President Zuma removed then Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene? Well, Nene looks like he is about to become the new Chair of the Eskom board.

Nhlanhla Nene: Five things you didn't know about the new Finance Minister

Nhlanhla Nene was removed as Minister of Finance by President Jacob Zuma back in 2015 as he was “supposed” to head op a new BRICS bank. While no such job came into existence, Nene looks like he is about to get a massively challenging job.

While reports on Saturday revealed that the ANC NEC has decided that the party’s top six will now ask President Zuma to resign, party president Cyril Ramaphosa has also demanded that a new Eskom board be appointed.

Read: ANC top six set to ask Zuma to resign, recall if he refuses

Ramaphosa will leave the country at the end of the weekend as he heads off to Davos to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) with finance minister Malusi Gigaba.

Ramaphosa and many other ANC NEC members want Nene to be named as the new chair of the Eskom board. According to eNCA sources, Nene has been offered the position but is yet to officially accept the position.

If that wasn’t enough, current Eskom chair Zethemba Khoza confirmed to Fin24 that he submitted his resignation to Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown on Friday.

“I think it’s in [the] good interest of the country…after all the noise, it’s better for me. I was putting out fires on a daily basis, so I think it’s good to give new people a chance”, Khoza told Fin24.

According to Khoza, Brown is yet to accept that resignation.

Political analysts believe that Ramaphosa’s demand for a new board signals the end of the political road for Lynne Brown. While a new Eskom board will have to be appointed by her ministerial position, she could be the first to fall, ahead of Zuma and anyone else in his cabinet.

While no one would question Nene’s capabilities for the job, he is going to have one hell of a monstrous task on his hands. Can he stop the power utility from going belly up?

Also Read: “Eskom must be dealt with or it could collapse our economy” – Gigaba