Ngubane steps down as Eskom chairman

EMBATTLED Eskom board chairman Ben Ngubane, 75, has resigned from his post, Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown announced late last night.

“Dr Ngubane formally tendered his resignation, which I accepted,” Brown said in a statement. “I would like to thank Dr Ngubane for his contribution to turning Eskom around since the load-shedding days of 2014/15, and wish him well in the future.”

Brown appointed Zethembe Khoza as the interim board chairman “until I am able to take new board appointments to the cabinet for approval”, she said.

Last month former mineral resources minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi made explosive allegations against then Eskom chief executive Brian Molefe and Ngubane, accusing the two of attempting to pressurise him to blackmail resources giant Glencore.

This was in an attempt to help the Gupta family buy the company’s Optimum coal mine, which supplied Eskom’s Hendrina power station.

Molefe, who is fighting his axing in court, briefly made a spectacular return to his old job last month.

This followed a decision by the power utility’s board to rescind his application for early retirement, with a R30 million payout, because it could not agree with him “on a mutually beneficial pension proposal”.

The DA spokesperson on Public Enterprises, Natasha Mazzone, said Ngubane’s resignation came hot on the heels of damning revelations of the capture of Eskom leadership by the Guptas, and the breakdown of corporate governance at Eskom.

“He had much to answer for and faced an avalanche of accusations that the Guptas have milked Eskom over many years. Ngubane’s resignation will not exonerate him from liability for the breakdown of governance at the power utility. The parliamentary inquiry into Eskom, set to commence on 21 June, will hold Ngubane to account,” Mazzone said.

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