South Africa's energy sector received a significant boost as Dan Marokane, a respected executive with over two decades of senior leadership experience, is set to take charge of Eskom as the new Group Chief Executive on March 1, one month earlier than initially planned. File Picture: Jennifer Bruce / Independent Newspapers
Dan Marokane, the man who will take the reins to turn around South Africa’s flailing power supplier Eskom, will assume the top job of Group Chief Executive on March 1 - a month earlier than expected.
Marokane, a well respected executive, whose appointment was largely welcomed in December when he was tapped for the top job, was meant to start on March 31.
“On behalf of the Eskom Board, I officially welcome Dan to the organisation. Eskom employees were excited to hear that Dan will rejoin the company. They remember his hands-on leadership style that is needed right now,” said Eskom Board chairman, Mteto Nyati said in a statement on Friday.
Marokane comes into the hot seat on the back of South Africa facing the worst year of load shedding in 2023, with over 330 days of blackouts.
“The Board wishes him well as he steers Eskom in the right direction and leading its turnaround from the front. We have confidence in his capabilities, as well as those of the leadership and staff of Eskom, to turn the organisation around,” added Nyati.
“The Board also expresses its deepest gratitude to Calib Cassim for his leadership and the stability he brought as the Acting Group Chief Executive. His dedication and commitment as well as his efforts to keep management and staff focused and motivated, have not gone unnoticed. Through his stewardship, Eskom managed to navigate through challenges and achieved significant milestones,” concluded Nyati.
Marokane takes on, what many consider, the country’s toughest job more than a year after the resignation of Andrè de Ruyter.
Marokane, a qualified chemical engineer with an MBA, is a seasoned executive with more than 20 years senior leadership experience.
He has experience working in distressed organisations with visible and pressurised turnaround mandates and was previously at Tongaat-Hulett, where he stepped up to lead this financially distressed business when its chief executive officer resigned.
Eskom had embarked on a global search for a suitable candidate with the necessary leadership, experience and business orientation with a solid track record in the energy sector.
Nyati had previously being quoted in Business Report as saying that Marokane had experience in managing complex strategic, operational and commercial turnarounds across the private and public sectors
“He also has in-depth knowledge of the Eskom environment. He leads from the front. He will hit the ground running. That is what Eskom and South Africa need right now,” Nyati said.
“We are delighted to have him on board and are confident that he, the executive committee and the board will work well together in rebuilding an Eskom of tomorrow that is anchored on a high-performance culture.”
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