Shock treatment for Eskom

After the power utility’s worst week yet, government focuses on appointing a new board

● Changes at the highest levels of crisisstricken Eskom are looming, as the cabinet meets to discuss a new board.

As the power utility experienced arguably its worst week of rolling blackouts, several well-placed insiders told the Sunday Times of engagements between the presidency and the public enterprises department about a new board.

The talks are expected to be finalised in the coming week.

President Cyril Ramaphosa used yesterday’s Heritage Day speech to say he would “speak soon” about what measures would be taken.

Eskom subjected South Africans to stage 6 load-shedding this week, the most stringent thus far, leaving households and businesses without power for up to six hours a day. On Tuesday, stage 6 was reduced to stage 5 which lasted until midnight on Friday, after which the nation was placed on stage 4.

Ramaphosa, who cut short a visit to the UK after being briefed about the severity of the power crisis last weekend, is expected to present names of proposed new board members to a special cabinet meeting this week.

The Sunday Times understands that when the cabinet met virtually last Wednesday, several ministers expressed dissatisfaction and a decision was taken for heads to roll.

A high-ranking government source said: “Cabinet ministers said they must all go; the board and the executive must go. But the meeting adjourned and has not concluded.”

The Sunday Times further understands a follow-up meeting was supposed to have taken place on Friday but has been moved to this week.

The cabinet received briefings on the state of the grid from public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan and the newly established National Energy Crisis Committee technical team (Necom).

Both the presidency and the public enterprises department, to which Eskom reports, would neither confirm nor deny the discussions. Officially, the cabinet has said it is still engaged in “intensive deliberations”.

On the current crisis, Gordhan said: “Last Saturday I called an emergency meeting of the board to look into what’s going on, what