Eskom Bosses May Be Axed Amid Pressure to Keep Lights On and End Rolling Blackouts

• President Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet are looking to shake things up at Eskom as a means to address the rolling blackouts
• Energy Expert Tshepo Kgadima maintains that Andre de Ruyter must be fired as CEO if there is going to be effective change at the ailing power utility
• Eskom announced that stage 3 and 4 blackouts would persist for most of the week in a continuation of the worst loadshedding SA has experienced thus far

JOHANNESBURG - Top leadership at South African power utility, Eskom, may be in jeopardy of losing their jobs. Reports indicate that changes to the board and administration of the ailing power utility are imminent.

Energy expert Tshepo Kgadima said Eskom's leadership needs a much-needed facelift as Kgadima maintains that the power utility's board has failed to address the energy crisis.

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According to Jacaranda FM, President Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet will meet this week to discuss leadership changes at the struggling parastatal.

Kgadima maintains that the problems at Eskom are on a management level and that the board has failed in its fiduciary duty. The energy expert added that for changes to be effective, Andre de Ruyter, Eskom's CEO, and Jan Oberholzer, the COO, need to be fired.

With de Ruyter and Oberholzer at the helm, South Africa has recently faced the worst rolling blackouts. The power utility claims it is keeping lights off to contain energy generation reserves.

Generation units at the Camden, Kriel, Majuba, and Matla power stations have been offline since Thursday, 22 September. EWN reports that Eskom says constraints from diesel suppliers are affecting the availability of bulk diesel needed for two open-cycle gas turbines.

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The nation is expected to alternate between stage 3 and stage 4 rolling blackouts for the remainder of the week.

South Africans react to the government's plans to change Eskom's board

Some South Africans aren't convinced that changing the leadership at the power utility will make any difference to the energy crisis.

Here are some comments

@Nhlanhla_joko said:

"Mxm a waste of time"

@toni_gon speculated:

"Sabotage continues by the Imbeciles that do not WANT to keep the lights on?"

@Kamogelo_Mabuse agreed:

"It doesn't get any better. The people in charge of Eskom are FAILING Dismally."

@llutladi suggested:

"#Pravin should be sacked tonight"

@Cinnamon_Guy_ asked:

"Will that end loadshedding?"

@ScreamerRSA added:

"Fire and imprison @GwedeMantashe1 for gross negligence! 10 years and not 1 MW added to the grid. He is inept."

Energy expert said South Africa should prepare for an extended period of loadshedding, Mzansi reacted

Briefly News previously reported that South Africa was battling Stage 6 and 5 loadshedding for a week, spurring many to ask, "When will it end?".

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City of Tshwane says Eskom's proposed 32% tariff hike will have devastating consequences for residents

BusinessTech published a report that determined how long South Africans should expect higher stages of loadshedding. Industry expert Peter Attard Montaldo mentioned that the solution to Eskom's woes is for President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government to implement the plans in the Crisis Energy Plan.

Source: Briefly News