Eskom Holdings’ 96-year history is replete with former CEOs who rose from within South Africa’s debt-laden State utility to run the company. There are few obvious choices for the next CEO to come from those same ranks. Two possible candidates from Eskom’s executive team to replace Phakamani Hadebe have strengths but also weaknesses. CFO Calib Cassim is a chartered accountant who’s worked at Eskom for 17 years, yet he has little technical expertise. COO Jan Oberholzer, who has held a range of jobs during a quarter century at the utility, may not have the financial experience to steady its shaky finances.
