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Eskom's Molefe a no-show at African Utility conference opening

By , Portals editor
South Africa , 16 May 2017

Eskom's Molefe a no-show at African Utility conference opening

The CEO of utility service provider Eskom Brian Molefe did not attend the opening of African Utility conference in Cape Town on Tuesday 16 May and instead it was the service provider's board chair Dr Ben Ngubane who addressed delegates.

In a media statement issued by African Utility conference, Ngubane is said to have rubbished former resource minister adv. Ngoako Ramatlhodi's claims that Molefe and Ngubane pressurised a minister to help the Guptas take over the Glencore coal mine.

"My office told me the minister claims that we forced him – he claims something that is impossible. We cannot tell a minister what to do, we take orders from ministers. We ask for help," Ngubane said. "For a minister to now claim that we actually made him take a decision about something is preposterous."

Molefe was scheduled to deliver the keynote address but cancelled what would have been his first public appearance since he was reinstated as Eskom chief after a short stint as ANC MP, according to African Utility conference.

Eskom and South Africa's nuclear plans are likely topics for discussion at the three-day conference, which will see over 7000 decision makers from over 80 countries deliberate over the latest developments, challenges and opportunities in the power and water sectors.

Multinational ICT firm Huawei and Eskom are expected to make an announcement centred around collaboration via the tech firm's OpenLab, launched in Johannesburg in April, to enhance development and innovation of smart grid technology.

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