Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha resigns
Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha has announced he will be leaving the group at the end of February.
Having joined Eskom on a fixed-term contract three years ago, Mantshantsha will be leaving Eskom on 28 February 2023, the group said.
Mantshantsha had agreed to join Eskom as Spokesperson to lead the Media Desk during a difficult period in which the organisation needed to restore trust and credibility in its dealings with the public and stakeholders.
“Over the course of three years, Mantshantsha helped improve Eskom’s public image by driving honest and frank communication in the media domain on Eskom’s real position during a difficult period characterised by operating difficulties and increased load shedding.”
“This has seen Eskom become more accountable, agile, and transparent in its external positioning, while increasing its share of voice with regular executive team briefings to the public on key developments,” the group said.
Eskom Interim Group Chief Executive Calib Cassim said the spokesperson had been instrumental in driving and improving transparency and frequency of information sharing during his tenure.
“Eskom is grateful for his contribution to our organisation, and we wish him well during his next journey.”
In the interim, Daphne Mokwena will lead the Media Desk team and act as Eskom Group Spokesperson with immediate effect while the recruitment process for a permanent spokesperson is underway.
Mokwena is currently the Senior Manager for the Retail Centre of Excellence and has been in the employ of Eskom for 21 years. Mokwena has also served as the Gauteng Customer Services Senior Manager and Gauteng Distribution Spokesperson, dealing with challenging issues such as Soweto debt.
Information blackout
Mantshantsha’s exit from Eskom marks yet another high-profile resignation from the group and signals a wider “changing of the guard” following the appointment of a new Eskom board in October 2022.
Chief executive officer Andre de Ruyter left the group with immediate effect last week, while several other executives are expected to depart in the coming year.
Energy expert Chris Yelland warned that the resignations are leaving a leadership vacuum at the embattled power utility that will be difficult to fill, leaving the door open for political appointees and interference to take root.
Key among the risks of this is an information blackout, he said, where the country would likely see less communication, fewer media briefings, and executives and spokespeople no longer being authorised to comment or make statements on the goings-on at Eskom.
“This is the natural reaction in a clampdown after an Arab Spring,” he said.
The expert added that panic is setting in around Eskom and that politicians will likely try to tightly control the narrative ahead of the 2024 national elections.
Read: Warning over a different kind of blackout at Eskom: expert