Eskom's Brian Dames resigns

South Africa's Eskom said on Thursday its Chief Executive Officer Brian Dames would step down in March, departing the power utility at a time when Africa's largest economy struggles to keep the lights on due to tight electricity supply.

South Africa's Eskom said on Thursday its Chief Executive Officer Brian Dames would step down in March, departing the power utility at a time when Africa's largest economy struggles to keep the lights on due to tight electricity supply.

Dames has been at the helm since 1 July 2010. He told a news conference he was leaving Eskom for personal reasons and had not come under any pressure to resign.

He has substantially turned around the organisation, said Eskom in a statement on Thursday.

But the surprise announcement comes just weeks after the state-owned utility declared a power emergency for the first time in five years, due to tight electricity supply.

That raised fears Eskom was coming dangerously close to bringing back the rolling blackouts that paralysed the economy for weeks in 2008, forcing the closure of mines and factories for days and costing billions of dollars of lost output.

Under his leadership Eskom kept the lights on in spite of a tight system, sustained the new build programme, invested in renewable energy on a large scale and secured the funding required for its future, while also making a significant contribution to development, training and empowerment.

Among his other achievements, he also managed to keep the lights on during a successful 2010 World Cup.

Chairman of the Eskom Board Zola Tsotsi has thanked Dames for his dedication and commitment to Eskom over the years.

“I want to personally thank Brian for his hard work, for taking the helm of Eskom during arduous times and successfully steering the company through many rough seas.”

Tsotsi said that up until March, the Eskom Board and Dames would work together to ensure a smooth transition to a new Chief Executive.

“The process to find a successor is well underway and we expect it to be concluded timeously.”