The long-overdue resignation of Eskom chairman Zethembe Khoza is welcomed, but his resignation does not absolve him of the role he played in Eskom’s decline, the Democratic Alliance said on Saturday.
The DA would not allow Khoza, or any other person implicated in corruption at state-owned enterprises (SoEs) or state capture to escape the consequences, DA spokeswoman Natasha Mazzone said.
According to media reports, Khoza confirmed to Fin24 on Saturday that he submitted his resignation to Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown on Friday and he was waiting for her to accept it.
"I think it's in [the] good interest of the country... after all the noise, it's better for me," he reportedly told Fin24 by phone.
Mazzone said it was imperative that there be no unnecessary delay in the appointment of a new Eskom chair and CEO. "We cannot allow speculation to do even more damage to our besieged energy utility," she said.
Khoza’s resignation and the leadership vacuum at Eskom once again showed Brown’s complete inability to manage SoEs.
"The appointment of a suitable and capable chairperson and a CEO is only the first step in helping Eskom recover from the chronic mismanagement and looting which has brought the parastatal to the brink of collapse," Mazzone said.
Rumours were rife on Saturday that former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene was the favourite to replace Khoza, but the outgoing chair said he was unaware who had been chosen as his replacement, Fin24 reported.
- African News Agency (ANA)
