Eskom Chairman Mpho Makwana Resigns After 1 Year, South Africans Blame Pravin Gordhan

• Minister of Minerals and Resources Gwede Manatshe is at paints to know why Eskom executives are resigning
• This was after the utility’s chairman, Mpho Makwana, announced that he would be stepping down at the end of October
• South Africans do not doubt that Eskom's executive woes can be traced to Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan

Eskom is bleeding top executives and Minister of Minerals and Resources Gwede Mantashe is scratching his head, trying to figure out why.

South Africans, on the other hand, believe that Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan is to blame.

Gwede Mantashe wants to know why Eskom executives are resigning

Mantashe, speaking to the media recently, remarked that the government needs to find out why so many of Eskom's top officials are jumping ship. He spoke following the recent resignation of an Eskom top boss.

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The troubled utility's chairperson, Mpho Makwana, will step down at the end of October after being at the board's helm for only one year. He joins the likes of former CEO André de Ruyter, who resigned late last year. Mteto Nyati is set to take the helm, becoming the 10th chairman for Eskom in 16 years.

TimesLIVE reported that Mantashe is adamant about getting to the bottom of why the Eskom brass is leaving. He compared the leadership exodus to mice running away from methane in a mine. He flipped the metaphor and said that the government should find out the cause of the rats running instead of mindlessly running with them.

He is also worried that Eskom may not have transmission capacity and pointed out that if Eskom does not assure the nation, Mzansi's shaky electrical supply will be in trouble. Netizens discussed the issue after energy policy and investment specialist @AntonEberhard posted a tweet, pointing out that Eskom has had 14 CEOs since 2007. Read the tweet here.

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Mzansi blames Pravin Gordhan

South Africans responding to his tweet pointed their fingers at Gordhan.

Mark Alun Smith said:

“Pravin Gordhan is the common denominator.”

Nigel Lees pointed out:

“Competent or not, none of these people can work with Gordhan. He is the problem, yet he keeps his job.”

Carol Paton hinted:

“Many CEOs, many chairpersons, one common denominator.”

Wayne StevenJennings remarked:

“Whenever you look, you see the unsteady, clammy hands of Pravin.”

Bryan Groenendaal wrote:

“Mteto Nyati becomes the 10th board chair appointed at Eskom in the last 16 years. Says it all.”

Hawks arrest corrupt Eskom project manager

In a similar article, Briefly News reported that the Hawks caught a corrupt Eskom project manager accused of accepting an R50K bribe.

The official was arrested during a sting operation in July and appeared the same month after receiving R50 000 in two instalments for approving a tender.

Source: Briefly News