New Eskom boss will start later

Johannesburg - New Eskom CEO Tshediso Matona will assume his duties on October 1, one month later than initially announced.

Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown made the announcement on Wednesday, the public enterprises ministry said in a statement.

Matsietsi Mokholo, the department’s current deputy director general for legal and governance, was appointed acting director general and accounting officer of the department with effect from September 1.

Brown said on August 20 that Cabinet had approved Matona's appointment.

"Mr Matona has been closely involved in providing oversight to Eskom and the other state-owned companies in the department's portfolio for the past three years," Brown told reporters at Parliament.

Even though Matona did not have much private sector experience, his appointment was an attempt to strengthen the power utility's leadership.

"Part of the problem at Eskom is also a leadership problem. Matona has a clear understanding of which way government would like to go," Brown said.

"He understands the present debates that are raging in our environment. He has to make decisions about which way Eskom has to go within the next short while. He also has to deal with what is wrong at Eskom."

Brown said she expected Matona to spearhead efforts to make the entity more efficient.

He succeeds Brian Dames, who stepped down at the end of March and was replaced by Collin Matjila, who worked in an acting capacity from April this year.

Matona was public enterprises director general prior to his appointment, having been director general of the trade and industry department from 2006 to 2010.