Eskom chair ‘senior figure’ at church that owes utility R2m- report

The International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC), of which Eskom board chair Mpho Makwana is said to be a senior figure, reportedly owes the power utility more than R2m.

The Sunday Times reported the church has a bill of R2,099,855.83, which was due to be paid earlier this week. The church, which is headquartered in Zuurbekom, west of Johannesburg, apparently gets its power directly from Eskom and continues to get power, despite its non-payment.

Makwana reportedly serves as secretary of the council at the church, and according to insiders is “well aware” of the church’s finances.

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When approached for comment, Makwana referred all enquiries to the church’s spokesperson, Albie Wessie, who said the Eskom chair “is not involved with Eskom customer account matters”.

ESKOM’S DEBT PROBLEMS

Makwana has been prominent in the utility’s fight to stabilise the power grid, with Eskom calling on South Africans to use electricity sparingly and non-payers to settle their debts. Outstanding municipal debt owed to the utility sat at around R58 billion in April.

In February Eskom was given R254 billion in debt relief over the next three years, with Makwana telling parliament’s Standing Committee on Appropriations in April the utility would put the relief to good use.

“Mr Makwana said they would make a due appreciation for the R254 billion provided. Eskom had a dedicated technical committee on the board to ensure regular oversight and support to management to create stability in the generation division,” notes from the meeting read.

At the turn of the year, Makwana said Eskom was aiming to deliver some predictability to the grid while it implements its turnaround strategy.

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He said this may require permanent load shedding at stage 2 or 3 for at least two years, so critical maintenance could be done.

In March, SABC News quoted Makwana as saying load shedding may only stabilise by the end of March 2025.

SA is currently experiencing stage 3 and 1 rolling blackouts.