Former Eskom Board Chairman, Jabu Mabuza, Dies

FORMER Eskom board chairman Jabu Mabuza has passed away after a short illness.

Inside Politics understands that Mabuza died of COVID-19 related complications on Wednesday.

Mabuza became Eskom chairman in January 2018 and was appointed along with other new board members.

However, he resigned from the power utility in January 2020.

Mabuza used his resignation to apologise for Eskom’s inability to keep the lights on and meet the power demand in South Africa.

“[Jabu] Mabuza apologised for Eskom’s inability to meet the commitment it made to the President [Cyril Ramaphosa],” the Presidency said at the time.

Two years ago, Mabuza testified at the State Capture Commission following allegations of conflict of interest involving his companies.

He told the commission that he had bought 6% of shares in Sphere Investment worth R26 million.

Sphere has shareholdings in boiler-serve contractor Babcock, which serviced a third of Eskom’s coal power stations.

Mabuza maintained that he had no