TimesLive reports that despite putting at least ten senior executives under the axe in a bid to trim employees and minimise its bloated top management, Eskom has appointed eight executives and senior managers to a new operations team.  

According to an internal memorandum, the eight appointments were made in high-paying posts such as group executives, general managers and chief officers.  In December last year, it was reported that at least ten senior executives, who were responsible for the day-to-day running of the business and reported directly to the chief executive officer, were facing the axe as the cash-strapped parastatal moved to reduce the number of top management persons.  At the time, Eskom’s spokesman, Khulu Phasiwe, said something had to be done to decrease the energy producer’s cost base and that the unions, in a bid to save workers’ jobs, had singled out management structures if retrenchments were to take place.  Phasiwe last week confirmed that the number of senior executives reporting to the CEO has been reduced from 21 to nine.  He said retrenchments were limited to only the executive level and that some vacancies had been left open after the executives occupying them had resigned.

• Read the original of the report by Amil Umraw in full at TimesLive

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