Molefe’s contract renewal slammed

Acting Eskom CEO Brian Molefe has failed to boost the morale of his employees, said the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), after reports claimed the board had renewed his contract.

“While the media credits … Molefe with reducing load shedding, Eskom employees regards him as a dismal failure in terms of boosting their moral,” Paris Mashego, NUM energy sector coordinator, said in a statement on Wednesday.

“It is NUM’s view that load shedding must not only be attributed to lack of electricity generation and maintenance of the plants,” said Mashego. “The moral support of employees behind electricity generation is very critical towards the reduction of load shedding.”

The Eskom board told the Sowetan on Tuesday that Molefe’s contract had been renewed. “(The contract) is still on an acting basis.” They failed to disclose the length of the new contract.

In response to the report, the NUM said it did not support the views expressed by Public Enterprise Minister Lynne Brown to employ Molefe on a permanent basis or extend his contract

“We want to put it categorically clear that Eskom board has never informed us that they had extended Brian Molefe’s contract,” the union said.

Since he joined Eskom, Molefe has never met with the NUM to present his plans of stabilising Eskom, the union said.

“It is our view as the NUM that the leadership vacuum in Eskom has discouraged, demotivated our members and employees at Eskom to be unproductive due to lack of proper and effective strategic direction,” the union said.

Fin24