Who is Calib Cassim? Eskom’s interim CEO appointment sparks controversy

Eskom appointed a new acting CEO, Calib Cassim, on Friday, following former CEO André de Ruyter’s immediate departure on 22 February.

De Ruyter resigned back in December, but would have stayed on as CEO until 31 March 2023.

However, the Eskom board said they “reached a mutual agreement” to curtail his notice period to 28 February.

Then on Friday, Eskom announced Cassim’s appointment as acting CEO is effective immediately, saying he will lead the management team “until further notice”.

Who is Eskom’s new acting CEO

Cassim has been with the embattled power utility since November 2018, when he was appointed as Eskom’s Chief Financial Officer and General Manager for Economic Regulation.

Prior to this, he served as acting CFO from July 2017.

In this role as a GM and CFO, Cassim was responsible for the price application for electricity prices to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa).

He also provided strategic guidance to Eskom’s executive committee and board on key regulatory issues on long-term financial plans and bringing operations in line with Nersa’s various pricing mechanisms.

Tariff increases, municipalities’ debt

Cassim has also been outspoken about tariff increases, saying if Eskom revenue isn’t boosted through increases, it could lead to a “national fiscal crisis”.

When Eskom reported on its annual results in December, Cassim said the embattled power utility didn’t have enough money to settle its debt, especially since municipalities owed Eskom more than R44 billion, as per the National Treasury in 2022.

During his tenure as CFO, Cassim also clamped down on municipalities with outstanding accounts.

All those tweets from Eskom naming and shaming the City of Johannesburg, Emfuleni, and Ekurhuleni municipalities? That was Cassim?

Prior to joining Eskom, Cassim held various senior positions in both the public and private sectors.

Caleb Cassim’s educational background

Cassim is also a registered chartered accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Natal, and his honours at Unisa.

He also has a Master’s degree in Business Leadership (MBL), and completed various executive development programmes at Harvard Business School and the University of the Witwatersrand.

Eskom said his qualifications and extensive experience provide Cassim “with a deep understanding and appreciation of Eskom and the electricity industry”.

“Especially regarding the challenges facing the financing of operations and future expansion of the industry.”

ALSO READ: Fired Eskom chief De Ruyter ‘a victim of a mafia world’

Mzansi on Cassim’s appointment

While his list of qualifications is impressive, several netizens expressed concern, saying Eskom needs someone with an engineering background, not an accountant (Cassim) and not a lawyer (De Ruyter).

One Twitter user described Cassim as a “brave man”, adding, “either that or he is party to the corruption”.

Another said: “Well done… Not. So we get a financial director when we really need an electrical engineer. Let’s see how this goes”. He added:

I think Cassim is going to make more problems than solutions.

Many questioned whether he would be able to put a stop to rolling blackouts, especially since South Africans might be facing stage 10 load shedding by winter.

Unfortunately, Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said Cassim has no comment to share about his appointment as CEO. He also won’t be doing any interviews for a while.