Eskom has made steps towards what it says constitutes one of the most important pillars of its legal separation into three entities, appointing the relevant board members for one of the divisions.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the power utility announced the appointment of the board of directors of the National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA).
It marks the legal separation of Eskom into three entities, namely generation, distribution and transmission.
According to Eskom, transmission is first of the three divisions to achieve legal separation, with the NTCSA already registered and receiving approval for the requisite licenses from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa.
Additionally, the appointment of the board completes the operationalisation of the NTCSA.
“The appointment of NTCSA board takes Eskom a step closer to unlocking the potential that comes with the planned transformation of the electricity industry,” says Eskom board chairperson Mteto Nyati.
“We thank all the individuals who raised their hands to guide Eskom into a future where South Africans have reliable, affordable and environmentally friendly supply of power.”
Notably on the list of appointed members of the board of the NTCSA are ICT industry leaders, including those from public entities like Sentech and the State IT Agency (SITA).
The non-executive directors of the NTCSA board are as follows:
- Priscillah Mabelane, chairperson of the NTCSA board, is the executive VP for energy business at Sasol.
- ICT industry leader and former Telkom Group executive Dr Brian Armstrong has been appointed as the lead independent director. He is currently professor of digital business at the Wits Business School.
- Lungile Mashele is an energy economist, energy professional, and banker with more than 12 years of energy industry experience in Africa. She is currently an energy and infrastructure specialist at the Public Investment Corporation.
- Carmen Le Grange, former CFO of Denel and previous partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
- Former MTN Group executive Anu Sing has more than 25 years of experience at board and executive level, with careers as an engineer, investment banker and in telecommunications.
- Nkosinathi Solomon holds an MBA degree and a BSc in chemical engineering. Solomon is lauded for having good understanding of the energy landscape and experience in leading transforming organisations.
- Former Development Bank of South Africa chairperson professor Mark Swilling. He is the co-director of the Centre for Sustainability Transitions at Stellenbosch University.
- Auke Lont is the former CEO of Norway’s Statnett. He was part of an international group of CEO peers and understands the South African electricity market reform context.
- Professor Francis Petersen, rector and vice chancellor of the University of the Free State.
- Sedzani Mudau, executive director of Favest Advisory, chairperson of the Board of Sentech and a non-executive director of Ellies Holdings.
- Dr Busisiwe Vilakazi is the head of research and innovation at SITA, and a former senior researcher at the CSIR. She is also currently a non-executive director of the Eskom board of directors.
- Tryphosa Ramano is a chartered accountant and holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce and postgraduate diploma in accounting and finance. She is also currently a non-executive director of the Eskom board of directors.