Eskom has asked that newly appointed interim group CEO, Sean Maritz, be given a chance.
"We have noted with concern recent media reports with unsubstantiated allegations against Mr Maritz. We plead that he be given a chance to lead Eskom," the power utility said in a statement on Sunday morning.
This after the Sunday Times published allegations that Maritz had hired a friend and fellow church member at a salary of about R100 000 a month, without declaring their friendship. The newspaper reported that in 2010 Maritz, then Eskom's IT manager, was slapped with a "written warning" for employing his friend, Andre Coetzee, in the same department on a six month contract.
On Friday Eskom announced that Maritz, who was CIO and group executive for IT, had been named interim CEO taking over from former interim CEO Johnny Dladla who had occupied the role since June 2017. Eskom said its board had decided "to rotate current executives in this role to ensure exposure" and that Dladla will now go back to his role as CEO of Eskom Rotek Industries (ERI).
"The decision to rotate the interim CE position was taken with the approval of the shareholder to, inter alia, give exposure to another member of the executive team without compromising organisational stability," Eskom said on Sunday.
The Sunday Times reported that public enterprises minister, Lynne Brown, appointed Maritz on friday despite being e-mailed documents on 15 September detailing his record of alleged transgressions. Two Eskom executives also told the Sunday Times that Maritz allegedly deleted evidence implicating Gupta companies in controversial deals with Eskom.
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