Eskom has appointed  new temporary CEO

Calib Cassim has been named temporary group CEO of embattled national power provider Eskom, effective immediately.

Cassim was named Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Eskom in November 2018 after serving as interim CFO since July 2017.

Cassim will oversee the Eskom management team until further notice, according to Eskom.

He is a Chartered Accountant (SA) with a master’s degree in Business Leadership (MBL). He has worked with Eskom for nearly 20 years.

“His qualifications and extensive experience have provided Mr Cassim with a deep understanding and appreciation of the Eskom business and the electricity industry, especially regarding the challenges facing the financing of operations and future expansion of the industry,” the group said.

Cassim’s hiring comes only two days after previous CEO Andre de Ruyter resigned with immediate effect following an explosive interview in which he claimed political infighting and corruption were impeding growth at the firm.

On February 22, the Eskom board and de Ruyter agreed to shorten his notice term. The previous CEO had planned to depart at the end of March of this year.

South Africa is experiencing rolling blackouts at historic levels, causing the economy to crumble and business to stop.

The corporation temporarily entered stage 7 load shedding on the same day that De Ruyter’s retirement was announced; however, this was not noted on the official timetable.

According to Eskom spokeswoman Sikonathi Mantshantsha, the power provider lost about 7,000MW of electricity on Wednesday evening.

He later verified that it was, in fact, stage 7 load shedding.