Nyati gets three more years as Eskom chair
The minister of electricity and energy has extended Mteto Nyati's term from 1 November 2026, with Eskom crediting his board for two consecutive profitable years and the launch of the National Transmission Company.
Eskom’s board chairperson, Mteto Nyati, will serve a further three years, with his term extended by the Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, with effect from 1 November 2026.
The utility announced the extension on Friday, saying it provides continuity of governance and strategic oversight as Eskom builds on the gains of its recovery phase and focuses on operational and financial sustainability, long-term competitiveness and what it calls sustainable value creation for South Africa.
Eskom credits the board under Nyati with a run of operational, financial and governance progress while carrying what it describes as a dual mandate: a commercial duty to run a financially sound business and a developmental duty to keep South Africa connected, growing and inclusive.
On the record it sets out, that period brought strengthened governance and accountability, improved operational performance, reduced reliance on diesel-powered generation and restored profitability, with profits reported in two consecutive financial years. The announcement also points to reforms it says are positioning the organisation for long-term sustainability.
The board has overseen progress in Eskom’s separation, including advancement of the unbundling strategy, the establishment and operationalisation of the National Transmission Company South Africa, and the launch of Eskom Green, the utility-scale renewable energy business.
Group chief executive Dan Marokane framed the reappointment as a matter of leadership certainty. “We are rebuilding an economic asset for South Africa,” he said. “The extension of Mr Nyati’s term provides continuity and leadership certainty at a time when Eskom is being positioned for long-term sustainability. The Board has played a critical role in strengthening governance, improving operational and financial performance, advancing the restructuring of the business, and creating the conditions required for a competitive marketplace.”
Marokane said Nyati is well respected throughout Eskom and the industry, by the shareholder and across key stakeholders including organised labour, the investor base and the wider business community, and said he was looking forward to continuing their working relationship.
Nyati said he accepted the reappointment with a clear understanding of what the country expects, and thanked the minister, the Cabinet and the President for the trust placed in him. He credited Eskom’s employees with the turnaround.
“Over the past three years, Eskom’s employees have shown what is possible,” he said. “They have proved that impossible is not a fact. It is an opinion. They have lifted this organisation from the worst crisis in our democratic history to a point where we now have excess capacity that can be used to drive economic growth.”
Looking ahead, Nyati said the utility’s role should widen beyond keeping the lights on. “We must now help our country industrialise and help the Southern African Development Community region industrialise,” he said. “Eskom must be more than a supplier of power. It must be a platform for growth.”
The extension runs for three years from 1 November 2026.
Source: Eskom, Eskom welcomes three-year extension of Board Chairperson Mteto Nyati’s term
