Bheki Nxumalo: The man who lit up Eskom

The suspension of load shedding did not surprise the man who put the lights back on, Bheki Nxumalo, because he was prepared when taking over as Eskom’s group executive generation manager.

The reason he had no fear of accepting one of the most challenging jobs in the country was because he was certain his strategy would succeed.

Eskom to become ‘a force to be reckoned with’

Nxumalo, who has worked for Eskom for about 30 years, took up his new role last year when the country was facing serious blackouts at stage 6 load shedding.

He spoke to Saturday Citizen about his personal life and his mission of transforming the power utility into a force to be reckoned with.

“The mission is to strive until we make Eskom a force to be reckoned with in terms of increased energy output.”

He took over the challenging job from his predecessor, Thomas Conradie, who was acting for several months after the then group executive generation manager, Rhulani Mathebula, resigned abruptly in 2022 as the pressure was mounting due to the blackouts that were a daily headache for businesses and households.

Like his predecessors, many people expected Nxumalo to fail or quit after a few months.

But he surprised everyone when he managed to implement strategies that contributed immensely to the suspension of load shedding.

“When accepting the group executive generations manager job offer, I knew what I was getting myself into.

“But I was so relaxed as I knew what the problem was and had plans in place.

“As soon as I started, I interacted with the team and we realised that the battle was winnable.

ALSO READ: Koeberg Unit 1 up by ‘end of the week’ but appeal submitted to set aside life extension

Competing on a different kind of pitch

“As a soccer fanatic, especially a Kaizer Chiefs supporter, I know and understand how to deal with difficult situations and how the spirit of teamwork can assist in achieving great results.

“The turnaround strategy was not a difficult task as it was about filling up critical positions with the correct people who know how to do the job.

“My love for soccer played a vital role in my planning. In football a coach should know his team, hence I know my Eskom team very well. That is why we did not struggle to put in a turnaround strategy.

“Applying the skills that I acquired from football assisted me to assign the best team to do the job.

“I also believe in giving people a chance to come up with a solution when there is a problem.

“People should not be underestimated and that philosophy helped me a lot because I always give my team a chance to have a say as we continue to address the electricity challenges.”

Nxumalo said hard work and more planning was needed to sustain the good results and push towards a situation of no blackouts at all.

He thanked his predecessors and the entire Eskom team for supporting him from the first day until the present.

WATCH: Alleged Eskom fraud fugitive Michael Lomas brought back to SA

Hord work behind Nxumalo’s success

Nxumalo, who hails from Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal, is a married father of three girls. He thanked his family for the support they give him in everything he does.

“My family has been with me from my first day as group executive generation manager until today. Their support is amazing.”

Even though he was good in mathematics and physical science, he said he was not an intelligent pupil in school. But being a hard worker kept him winning from primary school to tertiary education.

He attended a primary school in Vryheid and Malambule High School in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal.

He has a master’s degree in business administration and is a registered engineer with the Engineering Council of SA.

He joined Eskom in 1996 as a technician. Previously, he was maintenance manager and production manager at Lethabo and Hendrina power stations.

Later, he was power station manager at Grootvlei and Matimba. He also occupied other senior positions within the power utility.

The energy guru was born into a family struggling financially.

ALSO READ: ‘Taxpayers are paying twice for Eskom’s poor decisions’: Nersa’s R8.1 billion approval criticised

His parents, who never received a formal education, had seven boys and one girl and he is the fourth-born in the family.

“My parents never had formal education but they were hard workers.

“My siblings and I never went to sleep on an empty stomach. Especially my father, he would do a lot of things using his hands.

“He was very good at building houses and other things of the same calibre. I emulated my parents in terms of being a hard worker.”

Nxumalo is not a regular church goer but he does go to church when he has a chance.