Eskom veteran Monde Bala has been appointed as CEO of the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA), effective October 1, having served in the position on an interim basis for the past two months.

Bala took over from Segomoco Scheepers, who played a central role during the separation of the NTCSA from the rest of Eskom, and who will retire from the State-owned entity at the end of December.

Chairperson Priscillah Mabelane expressed confidence in Bala’s ability to lead the NTCSA into its next chapter, highlighting his experience, which includes 27 years in the electricity sector.

The appointment comes amid questions about the final structure of the NTCSA, which is operating as an independent subsidiary of Eskom Holdings but has not been fully separated from the group.

Asked by Engineering News whether NTCSA would be fully unbundled with its assets, Eskom Group CEO Dan Marokane said that an announcement on the “end state” was still pending.

“You will recall that the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act (ERRA) provides for the NTCSA to be the transmission system operator for the next five years whilst the end state, or the approach for establishing an independent system operator and independent market operator, is being evaluated.

“That work has been done, and it's been the subject of intense review and contrasting of options,” Marokane said at the recent results presentation, while also suggesting that there was no universal way to approach the matter.

This, amid reports that the NTCSA might be required to lease the transmission assets from Eskom Holdings, raising questions about its future independence, which is viewed as key to levelling the playing field in the electricity supply industry.

Marokane said that the board had deliberated on the recommendation and that the proposal was  now being “socialised with the appropriate structures above us, which is the shareholder Minister”.

“What is very clear is that either way the objectives of the ERRA will be fulfilled.

“How that gets to be fulfilled is really a matter of choice that takes our own situation into account,” Marokane said.

Prior to his appointment as NTCSA CEO, Bala had served in various senior leadership roles at Eskom, including as group executive for Eskom Distribution since 2019.

He holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cape Town and a Master of Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand.

The announcement also follows confirmation that CFO Calib Cassim will be retiring from his position in October next year.