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Phaswana recently retired as chair of petroleum company BP Southern Africa, where he has worked since the 1960s.
"Phaswana can motivate people to do the right things. He knows how to make organisations responsive to their customers' needs and produce good results," said Colin McClelland, director of the South African Petroleum Industry Association (Sapia).
McClelland has worked with Phaswana since 1965, when they first met at petroleum giant BP. He added that Phaswana assumes his role with an understanding of how Transnet customers view the parastatal.
"Phaswana was a big customer of Transnet when he was responsible for distribution at BP. His board membership of the board of Anglo American will give him an understanding of how mining clients view Transnet," said McClelland.
Phaswana's appointment is part of the sweeping changes to the Transnet board announced on Friday by Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin.
Erwin announced 11 new members of the Transnet board, including outgoing national director of public prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka and Sam Jonah, the Ghanaian national who is the president of AngloGold Ashanti, a gold mining group.
Transnet chief executive Maria Ramos and chief financial officer Sindi Mabaso are the only two survivors of the previous board.
Right combination of skill and experience
Ramos joined Transnet in January this year, taking over from Mafika Mkhwanazi. "I believe we have the correct combination of experience and skill set to take Transnet into the next level," said Erwin.
He pledged his department's support in removing obstacles that the board and management of Transnet will face as it restructures.
Phaswana is credited with improving the oil industry relations with the government when he was chairperson of Sapia in 1998.
He was also instrumental in shaping the discussions that led to the oil industry becoming the first to adopt a transformation charter in 1999.
"Phaswana is an extremely capable person," said Maurice Radebe, managing director of the fuels marketing division at Sasol Oil.
Gerwel's steady hand take controls at SAA
Erwin also appointed respected academic-turned-businessman Jakes Gerwel to chair the new board of SAA. "His experience will provide a wise and steady hand as we stabilise the position and chart effective strategies for both our domestic and international business."
Gerwel, as the director-general of the Nelson Mandela presidency, played a pivotal part in the negotiations that led to the resolution of the Lockerbie trial which had put Libya in the bad books of the US and British governments.
Gerwel is the chancellor of Rhodes University. He is a director of Naspers, owners of City Press and Media24, and also serves as the chairperson of the Human Sciences Research Council and non-executive chairperson of investment holding company Brimstone.
Other new members include former minister Valli Moosa and chief executive of Women Investment Portfolio Holdings Louisa Mojela.
"The appointments are for a three-year term and are subject to review at the annual general meeting and individual and group performance assessment," said Erwin.
