Black Execs Steered Clear of Eskom Job, Sunday Times Says

(Bloomberg) -- As many as 27 black executives headhunted to apply for the chief executive officer’s position at Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. declined to be considered citing the likelihood of too much political interference, the Sunday Times reported.

Eskom, which provides about 95% of South Africa’s electricity, is one of the state owned companies at the center of allegations of mismanagement of contracts, graft and so-called state capture and undue influence over government institutions. The government named Andre de Ruyter as CEO on Nov. 18, and he will start on Jan. 15.

The Sunday Times, which cited a government insider with knowledge of the process, didn’t give further details about the Black executives who declined to be considered for the CEO position.

The Public Enterprises Ministry, which oversees Eskom, said in a statement last Monday that it employed a recruitment company to find the new CEO. It identified 142 potential candidates and drew up a shortlist of 17. Six people were interviewed and the cabinet then picked De Ruyter from a final list of three names.

Eskom’s managers were replaced in January 2018, the month after Cyril Ramaphosa succeeded Jacob Zuma as head of the ruling party. Phakamani Hadebe was named CEO, but quit earlier this year citing the “unimaginable demands” of the job.

To contact the reporter on this story: Amogelang Mbatha in Johannesburg at ambatha@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Karl Maier at kmaier2@bloomberg.net, James Amott, Michael Gunn

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