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Eskom announced the appointment of Mr Collin Matjila as acting Chief Executive on 27 March 2014, after deep consideration of the issues facing the utility immediately and in the next few months.

It was prudent to select a candidate with suitable credentials from among board members, so as to allow management to continue to focus on operations. Given the ongoing challenge of balancing electricity demand with constrained supply, it was prudent not to diminish operational management capacity in any way.

“Mr Matjila was a unanimous decision by the Board,  based on his deep knowledge of and experience in the South African electricity industry emanating from his previous role as chairman of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa and from his current role as Eskom board member,” Mr Zola Tsotsi, Chairman of the Eskom board, said. In addition, Mr Matjila has insight into the requirements of municipalities, one of Eskom’s largest customer groups, which stems from his previous role as chairman of the South African Local Government Association, Mr Tsotsi said.

Mr Matjila has the requisite academic qualifications for the role of acting CE. He graduated with a BA degree in Law from the University of Lesotho in 1984, and an LLB from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1988. He also holds Management Advanced Programme (MAP) and Senior Executive Programme (SEP) diplomas from Harvard University (Boston, USA) obtained in 1999.

Mr Matjila has conveyed to the board that he would not be interested in a permanent role as CE of Eskom. In his temporary role, he is a competent decision-maker along with an executive committee of eight members.

Mr Matjila has relinquished all other Eskom board responsibilities and the board is satisfied that there is no conflict of interest.

The appointment of Mr Matjila in this short-term role was the most effective and least disruptive solution for Eskom.

“The board is making good process with the appointment of a permanent CE and will commence interviews with potential candidates next week,” concluded Mr Tsotsi.