NATIONAL NEWS - Cabinet has approved a recommendation by Eskom’s board to appoint Phakamani Hadebe as CEO of the electricity parastatal.

This comes alongside other new appointments at State Owned Enterprises. Tryphosa Ramona has been appointed as SA Express’s chair and Monhla Hlahla will head defence manufacturer Denel’s Board.

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan announced his intentions to clean-up the SOEs in his portfolio at his budget vote last week. Alongside the new appointments, Gordhan also announced that steps are being taken to merge South African Airways (SAA), SA express and Mango.

Gordhan has oversight over power utility Eskom, rail and ports company Transnet, defence manufacturer Denel, airline SA Express, diamond mining organisation Alexkor and the South African Forestry Company (Safcol).

At a briefing ahead of the budget vote, Gordhan speculated that state capture enabled through the entities could have cost the country R100-billion.

Article: Caxton publication, The Citizen.