Eskom is finally advertising for the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This follows the announcement from outgoing boss Andre de Ruyter, in December 2022, of his resignation. The job opening was posted at the weekend – roughly 7 weeks after de Ruyter announced his resignation.

Eskom says de Ruyter’s final day in office will be March 31, 2023.

READ MORE: Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter resigns

The new CEO will require:

The South African reports that the incoming CEO will oversee the unbundling of Eskom. This will see the parastatal divided into three separate divisions handling ‘transmission, generation and distribution’ of power.

According to the advertisment, the new CEO will need the following experience:

• Post Graduate Degree in Engineering, Business Administration/ Economics, or suitable qualification on NQF level 8 with 480 credits
• Track record in managing crises
• At least 15-20 years’ senior management experience
• Has extensive experience in raising capital
• Is a leader with unquestionable integrity and ethics

The advertisement is run through the Executive Search Firm, Drayton Glendower. The job opening also reads:

Lead and build an Executive team which will stabilise an organisation in crisis whilst managing diverse and sometimes conflicting stakeholder expectations…

and

Ensuring that the organisation manages risk and regulatory compliance requirements whilst achieving fiscal discipline and reducing high debt levels.

Is there hope for new leadership

Eskom has been struggling to keep the lights on, with loadshedding being a daily occurance in 2023. The African National Congress (ANC) says it plans to end loadshedding by the end of the year, by employing disaster management legislation.

Outgoing CEO, de Ruyter’s three years at Eskom is marked by sabotage, death threats, the Covid-19 pandemic and relentless accusations.

READ MORE: Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter targeted in murder attempt – report

The 52-year-old assumed his position on Christmas Day in 2019. He is Eskom’s 14th CEO since 1994, and the 11th CEO since loadshedding was first implemented in 2007.

It’s taken ⁦@Eskom_SA⁩ seven weeks to take the simple step of advertising for a new CEO after Andre de Ruyter resigned in mid-December. In the midst of a power crisis, it will be months before a new CEO is in place! pic.twitter.com/4skagVt1Jp

— Anton Eberhard (@AntonEberhard) February 5, 2023

Eskom’s CEO since 1994 – present

1. Allen Morgan (1994 – 2000)
2. Thulani Gcabashe (2000 – 2007)
3. Jacob Maroga (2007 – 2009)
4. Mpho Makwana (2009 – 2010)
5. Brian Dames (2010 – 2014)
6. Colin Matjila (2014)
7. Tshediso Matona (2014 – 2015)
8. Brian Molefe (2015 – 2016)
9. Matshela Koko (2016 – 2017)
10. Johnny Dladla (2017)
11. Sean Maritz (2017 – 2018)
12. Phakamani Hadebe (2018 -2019)
13. Jabu Mabuza (2019 – 2020)
14. Andre de Ruyter ( Jan 2020 – 2023)

READ MORE: Eskom ‘appreciates’ NERSA’s decision, apologises for loadshedding