President Cyril Ramaphosa has “noted” the resignation of Eskom board chairperson Jabu Mabuza.
Mabuza resigned on Friday and apologised for Eskom’s inability to meet its commitment to Ramaphosa in December to avoid load shedding until 13 January.
In a statement on Friday, Ramaphosa said Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan had accepted Mabuza’s resignation.
‘Reconfigured board’
The statement added, “President Ramaphosa has expressed his gratitude to Mr Mabuza for serving Eskom and the nation during a challenging period and has commended Mr Mabuza for taking responsibility and accepting accountability for events under his leadership.”
The President said government will continue to support Eskom’s efforts to restore reliable electricity supply.
“In the wake of Mr Mabuza’s resignation, government will soon announce a reconfigured Eskom board with the appropriate mix of electricity industry, engineering and corporate governance experience,” Ramaphosa said.
The controversy was kicked off by Deputy President David Mabuza on Wednesday when he said the Eskom board and Gordhan had misled Ramaphosa into promising that there would be no load shedding until 13 January.
Gordhan to stay on?
David Mabuza’s claim triggered calls for Ramaphosa to act against Gordhan and the Eskom board.
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in the Free State on Thursday called on Ramaphosa to remove Gordhan as Minister.
In an interview with SABC News on Friday, labour federation Cosatu similarly called on the President to “take action” against Gordhan.
Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said, “The results show that minister Pravin Gordhan has not delivered on what we expected him to in terms of fixing the SOEs.”
However, Ramaphosa’s statement made no indication that he’s contemplating any action against Gordhan.
The statement concluded, “The President wishes Mabuza well in his future endeavours and his existing leadership roles in various sectors of the economy.”