The contract of Ernest Mkhonta as Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) Managing Director (MD) has officially expired, with the utility confirming that an acting head has since been appointed to ensure continuity.
The expiry of Mkhonta’s contract comes shortly after the power utility secured approval for an electricity tariff increase, following its application for an upward adjustment.
Government intervened with a subsidy to cushion consumers, resulting in a reduced final tariff hike compared to the initial proposal.
Reliable sources within the energy sector have indicated that the EEC Board has already submitted its recommendation for the renewal of Mkhonta’s contract to Cabinet through the line ministry. The matter, it was said, was now awaiting Cabinet’s decision as it holds the final authority to approve contracts for heads of such public entities.
Pending the conclusion of these processes, the board has appointed Mpumzi Maziya as acting Managing Director with effect from yesterday.
It is understood that, in line with governance norms, an acting appointment of this nature may not exceed five months. Should Cabinet fail to act within this period, the acting managing director would need to be replaced by another executive, who can similarly hold the position temporarily while awaiting a final decision on the substantive post.
Maziya, who currently serves as General Manager for Research and Development at the utility, brings experience in system performance evaluation and review, organisational performance assessment, coordination of new projects, research oversight, and strategy implementation.
EEC spokesperson Khaya Mavuso confirmed that Mkhonta’s contract lapsed at the end of April, adding that internal processes regarding his employment relationship are ongoing.
“However, we can confirm that the substantive managing director’s current contract has lapsed. There are ongoing processes pertaining to his relationship with the EEC, which are being handled through the appropriate governance structures,” said Mavuso.
“This interim appointment is intended to ensure continuity of leadership and that the operations of the company are not negatively impacted while the necessary processes are being concluded,” he added.
Under the leadership of Mkhonta, EEC is understood to have continued with a number of strategic operational and infrastructure initiatives aimed at improving electricity supply stability and strengthening the national grid.
These included ongoing efforts around system performance improvement, with emphasis on reducing technical losses in the transmission and distribution network.
The utility also advanced monitoring systems intended to improve grid reliability and response times during faults and outages.
During his tenure, EEC is also reported to have strengthened its planning and research functions, particularly in system performance evaluation and organisational performance reviews.
These functions supported internal assessments aimed at improving efficiency across departments and aligning operations with long-term energy demand projections.
In addition, there were coordinated efforts around the implementation of new projects within the electricity network, including upgrades to key substations and reinforcement of distribution infrastructure in areas experiencing growing demand.
These projects formed part of broader national efforts to improve electricity access and reliability.
The utility also maintained focus on strategy implementation processes, where internal systems were aligned with national energy priorities, including ensuring continuity of supply and supporting industrial and domestic demand growth.
