Meet Eskom's new CEO Dan Marokane, who is no stranger to the utility

Eskom's new CEO Dan Marokane is no stranger to the power utility’s corridors.

Marokane's appointment was announced by public enterprises minister, Pravin Gordhan on Friday.

He worked at the utility for about five years until he was abruptly suspended with three other board members in 2015 in what chief justice Raymond Zondo described as a “crucial step to pave the way for the capture of Eskom by the Guptas”.

Marokane’s contest for the top job came eight years after he, Tsediso Matona, Tsholofelo Molefe and Matshela Koko (who later returned to the parastatal as CEO) were suspended.

He resigned from Eskom in May 2015.

Zondo in his report described their suspensions in 2015 as the start of systematic capture of the power utility by the Gupta brothers.

“The evidence uncovered by the commission revealed the Guptas and their associates and President [Jacob] Zuma were behind the suspension,” the state capture report read.

“The aim of the suspension of the executives was, except with regard to one executive, namely, Mr Koko, to remove persons who occupied certain strategic positions at Eskom who the Guptas did not think would co-operate with them in their agenda to capture Eskom so that the Guptas and their associates could then have persons who would co-operate with them appointed to those positions.” 

R6.2M SEPARATION PAYMENT:

Eskom, in a settlement agreement with Marokane, agreed to pay him R6.2m, essentially buying him out of the contract in May 2015. Eskom detailed in the settlement that the amount would be additional to his pension earnings.

Marokane signed a confidential separation agreement which he said was out of frustration.

Former Eskom acting chair Dr Baldwin Ngubane, in a letter of recommendation for Marokane, detailed his roles at Eskom from 2010-2015 as follows: 

• Divisional Executive (Primary Energy) 

• Chief Commercial Officer

• Group executive (Technology and Commercial) 

• Acting Group Executive (Group Capital) 

• Group Executive (Group Capital)

TONGAAT-HULETT HELM

After leaving Eskom, Marokane served as a board member for three years at Tongaat Hulett's Zimbabwean company Hippo Valley Estates. 

Former Tongaat Hulett chair Louis von Zeuner announced Marokane as an executive director on the board of the main company in December 2019. This was a year after he had worked as an executive to help the embattled Tongaat Hulett in its turnaround journey. 

The company detailed qualifications of the 52-year-old as follows: 

• Qualifications in BSc chemical engineering, Master's of Science (MSc) in Petroleum Engineering and Master of Business Administration degree (MBA). The company stated he was seasoned executive with more than 20 years in the oil, gas and power industries in various operational and strategic leadership roles.

Earlier this year Marokane was appointed as Tongaat Hulett acting CEO.

“He has been a key member of the management team which led the turnaround journey of the company. He played an important role in internal cash flow optimisation programmes and the management of the company’s asset disposals,” the company said in a statement.

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