Ex-MTN and Microsoft CEO: “BEE rules must go” to save Eskom

According to Sunday Times, Mteto Nyati, a new member of Eskom’s board of directors, says the empowerment rules the company must follow are holding it back.

After beginning his IT career at IBM in 1996, Nyati has gone on to become one of South Africa’s most prolific tech CEOs at MTN South Africa, Microsoft South Africa, and Altron.

To help improve the struggling energy company Eskom, he is in charge of the board’s new business operations performance committee.

When asked about the board’s role, Nyati said, “It’s our responsibility to remove any blockages or challenges in the way of the management team so they can focus on doing what they know best.”

Specifically, Nyati cited procurement as an area where he felt unnecessary empowerment rules were holding the industry back.

Given Eskom’s precarious position, these rules, according to Nyati, have no place there.

Eskom has long struggled under unfavourable affirmative action and BEE regulations.

Dirk Hermann, CEO of Solidarity, has claimed that misguided efforts to transform Eskom based on race significantly contributed to the company’s downfall.

Source: MyBroadband

Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash