Eskom keeps Oberholzer on for longer to help SA through power crisis

Jan Oberholzer, Eskom’s first and last chief operating officer, will stay at the troubled power utility for a while longer following his retirement in April, specifically to help see it through SA’s load shedding crisis.

Oberholzer confirmed on Wednesday that he and Eskom had concluded a contract for his services.

“A specific focus area is to oversee projects dealing with the current electricity crisis,” he said.

Oberholzer, who was appointed as Eskom’s first COO in 2018, has a long, experienced history with Eskom, having worked for the utility for around 30 years. His father worked for Eskom for 25 years.

Oberholzer told YOU magazine last month that he was open to assisting Eskom with advice and would be offering his services as a consultant.

“I look forward to making a positive contribution in the next decade regarding the economy and the lives of the 61 million people in our beautiful country,” he told the magazine.

The new Eskom board said in February that it was scrapping the COO position after Oberholzer’s retirement.

Eskom recently lost several key executives, as it battles the worst stretch of load shedding ever.

André de Ruyter told Parliament last week that interference from the new board was one of the main reasons he resigned as CEO. -news24.com