Eskom appoints career man as new Chief Operating Officer

A veteran Eskom executive was named on Friday as the utility's new Chief Operating Officer.

Jan Oberholzer has had 38 years of working experience‚ of which 24 were at Eskom where he held various positions‚ including that of COO of the Distribution Division‚ the board said in a statement. Most recently‚ he led the improvement of a number of hydro power plants in Zambia‚ it added.

“Jan brings with a wealth of operational experience in the energy sector as well as valuable institutional memory which I am confident will stand him in good stead to successfully reform our operations and set them up for sustainable success‚” said Phakamani Hadebe‚ GCEO of Eskom.

The board said that‚ "taking into account the enormity of the current operational and financial challenges faced by Eskom‚" a three-person top team is warranted: a Chief Executive Officer‚ a Chief Financial Officer and a Chief Operating Officer (COO).

"The Eskom Board is committed to finding the most suitable candidate for appointment to the GCFO position as this is a critical portfolio. This process will be concluded in the coming weeks."