NUM's position on Acting Eskom CEO contract being extended.

15 July 2015

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) does not support the views expressed by the Public Enterprise Minister Lynne Brown to employ the current Acting Eskom CEO Brian Molefe on a permanent basis or extend his contract

The Sowetan newspaper reported on Tuesday (14 July 2015) that Eskom has extended the contract of Acting CEO Brian Molefe and the Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown has previously expressed her wishes for the Eskom board to give Molefe a permanent contract. 

As the NUM, we want to put it categorically clear that Eskom board has never informed us that they had extended Brian Molefe's contract. 

Since he joined Eskom, Brian Molefe has never met with the NUM to present his plans of stabilising Eskom. Secondly, his public utterances mean that he plans to privatize Eskom.

"While the media credits Mr. Brian Molefe with reducing load-shedding, Eskom employees regards him as a dismal failure in terms of boosting their moral. It is NUM's view that load-shedding must not only be attributed to lack of electricity generation and maintenance of the plants. The moral support of employees behind electricity generation is very critical towards the reduction of load-shedding," said Paris Mashego, NUM Energy Sector Coordinator.

It is our view as the NUM that the leadership vacuum in Eskom has discouraged, demotivated our members and employees at Eskom to be unproductive due to lack of proper and effective strategic direction.

Statement issued by Paris Mashego: NUM Energy Sector Coordinator, July 15 2015