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Eskom CEO Phakamani Hadebe steps down due to health reasons

Eskom CEO Phakamani Hadebe has resigned from his position.
Eskom CEO Phakamani Hadebe has resigned from his position.
Image: BUSINESSLIVE

Eskom chief executive Phakamani Hadebe has resigned from the company.

The state owned entity announced on Friday that Hadebe will be stepping down at the end of July.

Hadebe leaves after the company plunged the country into crisis following rolling power cuts, which resulted in the economy losing billions of rands and shedding jobs.

As the country heads into the winter season, there is uncertainty on whether Eskom will be able to keep the lights.

Eskom board chairperson Jabu Mabuza said in a media statement Hadebe has been instrumental in driving stability at Eskom, during a very challenging period at the organisation.

"We have learnt to depend on his resilience to drive the kind of transformation that South Africa expects of our organisation. Appreciating the toll that this takes on an individual, we have had to, with regret accept his decision," said Mabuza.

"It is no secret that this role comes with unimaginable demands which have unfortunately had a negative impact on my health. In the best interest of Eskom and my family, I have therefore decided to step down."

"It has been a privilege to serve South Africans as the Group chief executive of Eskom. I am humbled and grateful to have contributed towards the stability for an organisation that is critical for our economy," said Hadebe.

"I'm particularly  grateful to the board, the exco (executive management), and all our employees for their resilience and support during this journey.

The parastatal's board said it was grateful to Hadebe "for his commitment to ensuring leadership stability as a critical factor in the successful implementation of our strategy to deliver on both our commercial and developmental mandate and as such will be engaging with him over the coming two weeks to ensure continuity and a steady transition".

"On behalf of myself and the board, I would to extend my sincere gratitude to Mr Hadebe for his contribution to Eskom's transition journey. The dedication and passion with which he has taken to fulfilling such a critical mandate is commendable," said Mabuza.

Public Enteprises spokesperson Adrian Lackay said he was not ready to comment on the matter.

SowetanLIVE reported earlier this month that De Beer Attorneys revealed that more than 400 local organisations, enterprises and small businesses have joined a class action lawsuit against Eskom.

The law firm had said it was now preparing a damages claim for individual businesses who suffered losses during load-shedding this year.

However, Eskom downplayed the lawsuit saying the law firm had little ground to stand on.

Last month Eskom's spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe also announced his resignation after working for the company for 11 years. Phasiwe had told SowetanLIVE that he wanted to spend more time with his family, "take some time out, detox, distress and recharge".

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