Eskom's chief information officer 'permanently' suspended

Sean Maritz

"Eskom's CIO, Mr Sean Maritz, has been suspended pending an investigation into allegations of impropriety," Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe said on Twitter. "He was placed on temporary suspension last Friday, which has now been converted into a permanent suspension."

Maritz was placed on temporary suspension on Friday and had until the close of business on Tuesday to submit reasons why he should not be suspended fully. Maritz was acting CEO until the appointment of Phakamani Hadebe as the utility's new acting CEO earlier this month.

Before he was removed, Maritz wrote a letter to global consultancy McKinsey, which stated that its R1.6bn contract with Eskom for a turnaround strategy plan was, indeed, lawful, despite revelations that the contract was invalid. Of the total amount, R595m was paid to Gupta-linked Trillian.