ANA reports that government on Wednesday ordered that Brian Molefe’s return to the helm of Eskom be rescinded and conceded that it had inflicted reputational harm on the country and the power utility.  

Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown told a media briefing she had met with the Eskom board and instructed it to remove Molefe from the post, following a decision by an inter-ministerial commission that considered the circumstances surrounding his controversial reappointment earlier this month.  Brown said she would appoint an acting CEO within 48 hours, and hinted that she could also remove the board next month over the debacle that drew criticism from the ANC and sent the opposition to court to demand Molefe’s removal.  Brown added that it was not clear to her at this stage whether Molefe would receive a termination pay-out, and she would discuss the issue with the board.  Molefe left Eskom under a cloud in November last year  He was reappointed to his old post two weeks ago, for the stated reason that he had mistakenly been granted early retirement which would have entitled him to a pension pay-out of R30-million, a move that was vetoed by Brown.

• Read this report in full at Mining Weekly
• See too, Lynne Brown tells Eskom board to overturn Molefe’s reappointment, at BusinessLive

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