Four senior Eskom executives, including chief executive Tshediso Matona, have been asked to step aside as the power utility embarks on a fact-finding inquiry, its chairman said on Thursday.

“There is no intent or suspicion of wrongdoing, there are no charges against them,” Eskom chairman by Zola Tsotsi told reporters in Johannesburg.

The other three are finance director Tsholofelo Molefe, group capital executive Dan Morokane and commercial and technology executive Matshela Koko.

“There is no malice. There is no wrongdoing that is under consideration.”

It was an inquiry, not an investigation, into the poor performance of generation plants, delays in bringing plants on-stream, the high costs of primary energy, and cash-flow problems.

The executives had been asked to step down for the duration of the inquiry, he said.

Non-executive board member Zethembe Khoza would assume the position of interim chief executive.

Tsotsi said the process would not last longer than three months. There was no hidden agenda behind the inquiry, but the board need to establish a baseline of where Eskom was.

-SAPA