South Africa: Inquiry, suspensions, downgrades as government loses patience with Eskom

The South African government appears to have finally lost patience with Eskom. Minister of public enterprises Lynne Brown made clear at a meeting of the Eskom board on 11 May that it must take decisive action. The following day Eskom chairman Zola Tsotsi announced a three-month inquiry into the utility’s problems and the suspension of chief executive Tshediso Matona, finance director Tsholofelo Molefe, head of group capital Dan Marokane and head of the commercial and technology division Matshela Koko. The announcement appears to have followed an intervention by the so-called ‘war room’, led by Brown and deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa.