In its effort to get the troubled power supplier Eskom from its current poor performance malaise, the South African government on Tuesday appointed Andre de Ruyter as the utility’s new group chief executive.
De Ruyter, who is currently the chief executive at Africa’s largest packaging company Nampak, replaces former group chief executive Phakamani Hadebe who left Eskom at the end of July 2019.
“I would like to thank De Ruyter for not only accepting this position at a difficult time for Eskom but, given Eskom’s current financial situation, to also agreeing to a lower compensation package than the position currently pays,” Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said in a statement.
He said he was confident that de Ruyter “will lead a committed and capable management team that will work with him and the board to take Eskom forward.”
De Ruyter is expected to assume his duties at Eskom on 15 January 2020, Gordhan said.
NM/jn/APA