The Black Business Council (BBC) on Thursday urged the Eskom board to start the process of replacing CEO Andre de Ruyter and ensure a well experienced power generation turnaround specialist is duly appointed.
In case the successor to De Ruyter is not appointed by the time he leaves Eskom at the end of March, the BBC says it will not support any Eskom board member being appointed to act as the CEO.
The council says this will be a breach of corporate governance and a serious conflict of interest.
“As we indicated before, Eskom needs a fixer who will improve the performance of the existing fleet of Eskom (coal base-load stations) as this is the only technically proven solution to stopping blackouts.
"Solar and wind energy won't stop blackouts, as demonstrated by Europe re-commissioning its coal power stations,” the council said.
The council said it welcomed the long-overdue resignation of De Ruyter.
“The BBC, which initially welcomed his appointment, has, on numerous occasions, raised very sharply, the incapacity and incompetence of the Eskom CEO and COO.”
COO Jan Oberholzer will retire from Eskom in April 2023.
“The BBC's call has always been supported by evidence as the South African economy continues to lose R4bn due to blackouts," the council said
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Black Business Council won't support board member to act as Eskom CEO
Image: Freddy Mavunda/Business Day
The Black Business Council (BBC) on Thursday urged the Eskom board to start the process of replacing CEO Andre de Ruyter and ensure a well experienced power generation turnaround specialist is duly appointed.
In case the successor to De Ruyter is not appointed by the time he leaves Eskom at the end of March, the BBC says it will not support any Eskom board member being appointed to act as the CEO.
The council says this will be a breach of corporate governance and a serious conflict of interest.
“As we indicated before, Eskom needs a fixer who will improve the performance of the existing fleet of Eskom (coal base-load stations) as this is the only technically proven solution to stopping blackouts.
"Solar and wind energy won't stop blackouts, as demonstrated by Europe re-commissioning its coal power stations,” the council said.
The council said it welcomed the long-overdue resignation of De Ruyter.
“The BBC, which initially welcomed his appointment, has, on numerous occasions, raised very sharply, the incapacity and incompetence of the Eskom CEO and COO.”
COO Jan Oberholzer will retire from Eskom in April 2023.
“The BBC's call has always been supported by evidence as the South African economy continues to lose R4bn due to blackouts," the council said
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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