Riyaz Patel
The appointment of leading academic Malegapuru Makgoba as interim chairperson of Eskom is not what the ailing power utility needs to turn it around, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said Thursday.
Professor Makgoba’s appointment was announced Wednesday, after Jabu Mabuza resigned last week, with government saying it was the start of a process to reconfigure Eskom’s board.
The DA said whilst Makgoba’s credentials may be impressive, they were of “no use in the power generation and transmission industry which was facing a crisis of note.”
“The appointment defies logic and his previous roles in governance at universities has been questioned,” DA MP and shadow minister of public enterprises Ghaleb Cachalia charged in a statement.
“The DA has repeatedly called for an independent new chairperson, with the appropriate financial and technical knowledge, to be instituted by the shareholder – one who is grounded in solid ethical governance.”
He said there were global energy executives with deep operational, financial and restructuring experience who could fulfill the role of Eskom chairperson.
“The shareholder should consider the appointment of a chairperson from candidates of this sort of caliber who already have a handle on Eskom’s operational and financial issues, and who will evince the measure of independence required,” Cachalia added.
The DA believes Makgoba’s appointment does little to instill the required confidence.
