Eskom has inked a two-year contract with its former chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer to oversee projects at Kusile and Koeberg, members of Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) heard during a visit to Eskom headquarters Megawatt Park on Wednesday.

Oberholzer officially retired in April this year, with the board saying it planned to scrap the position of COO upon his departure. His retirement followed the contentious exit of former chief executive officer André de Ruyter.

Eskom's acting group CEO Calib Cassim told Scopa he had appointed Oberholzer on a contract basis to oversee the completion of critical projects at coal-fired power station Kusile and nuclear power plant Koeberg. 

Kusile is one of three power stations identified by Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as crucial to ending load shedding. Koeberg's lifespan, meanwhile, is being extended.

Cassim explained, "[Against the backdrop of load shedding challenges] I had to weigh up having someone with Jan's experience and what is at stake for Eskom and the country."

Scopa chair Mkhuleko Hlengwa, however, responded that "one should not build systems around individuals" and that Eskom should ensure it had the necessary skills available internally.

'Scant' details from De Ruyter

The board was further quizzed on their knowledge of a controversial intelligence report conducted off the books by former police commissioner George Fivaz's forensic and risk company.

In response, Scopa was told that De Ruyter shared "scant" information regarding the operation's findings.

According to board member Claudelle von Eck, De Ruyter mentioned that there was an investigation underway during an induction meeting for the board in January, but that he did not go into detail.

Von Eck said the inductions were held in workshop format to help the board understand the various components of the business and, for this reason, no minutes were taken.

According to Von Eck, "The manner in which De Ruyter gave us the information about the investigation was scant in the way he framed it. I can't see how anyone in the room could have [thought] it was a concluded investigation."

Von Eck was also of the opinion that it was "natural" to assume the investigation would be concluded internally, with the findings ultimately presented to the board.

The natural assumption would be it is an internal investigation (of which) the normal channel would be that the audit committee would first make sure it was looked at at all angles and then report to the board.

There was no indication that it was an intelligence operation, she stressed. 

"There was not enough information given to us at that time to interrogate him further. He mentioned that he is busy with an investigation and that is as much as we were told on that day," said Von Eck.

She added that the appointment of a new group CEO for Eskom is in the final stages. Thereafter, the board will report their recommendations to the Department of Public Enterprises. 

"From our side, we hope to have it sorted out soon. We are committed to set Eskom on a path to sustainability. Central to that is providing oversight and holding the executive accountable," said Von Eck.