New CEO Dan Marokane has 100 days to start Eskom turnaround

Power utility Eskom officially welcomed the return of its new Group Chief Executive, on Friday.

Dan Marokane previously worked at Eskom for a few years before leaving in 2015. He was benched after it became apparent that he was opposing fraud and corruption at the company.

“He re-joins Eskom at a time when the organisation faces an existential challenge and is undergoing significant changes that require hands-on, bold, and decisive leadership,” the utility’s statement reads.

Expectations

The Eskom Board conveyed faith and optimism in Marokane’s abilities as well of those of the management and staff at Eskom to change the organisation for the better.

Eskom Board Chairman Mteto Nyati expressed the enthusiasm and excitement of Marokane’s colleagues about having him back into the organisation.

“We expect Dan and his leadership team to accomplish at least two critical tasks. First, they must address the current business challenges. Load shedding must become a thing of the past. Second, they need to reposition and restructure Eskom to enable growth and sustainability,” said Nyati.

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Focus and support

Furthermore, the board asked Marokane to focus on three key areas during the course of his first 100 days.

They asked him to assess the generation operational recovery plan, review Eskom’s unbundling plans, and engage with both internal and external stakeholders.

The board asserted the importance of the first 100 days in helping Marokane gain necessary insights about Eskom and the industry.

He is expected to be able to engage with the media at the end of the suggested period.

Nyati said the board fully supports Marokane’s return to the company.

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“We invite all South Africans to rally behind him as he steers Eskom toward stability, reliability and sustainability,” he said.

Marokane’s appointment

At the time of his appointment, Eskom said Marokane was an experienced chemical engineer with more than 20 years of senior leadership experience.

“Mr Marokane returns to Eskom after he and three other senior executives were suspended following an ethical stand they took against state capture, fraud and corruption.

“He has experience working in distressed organisations with visible and pressurised turnaround mandates. His recent assignment is at Tongaat-Hulett where he stepped up to lead this financially distressed business when its chief executive officer resigned,” Eskom said.

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His appointment was announced mid January this year and he was expected to start no later than 31 March.

“Eskom is pleased to inform the public that Mr Dan Marokane will assume office as the Group Chief Executive on 1 March 2024.”