Eskom board fees increased from R5.9 million to R22.4 million in 5 years

Eskom promised to cut costs to make electricity more affordable, but the people managing the company increased their own pay by 277% over 5 years.

This was revealed by Eskom’s annual reports over the last five years, which showed the fees paid to non-executive directors.

Eskom explained that its non-executive directors receive a fixed monthly fee, guided by its shareholder, the government.

The non-executive directors of the board are also reimbursed for expenses incurred in fulfilling their duties.

In 2021, the total remuneration for non-executive directors on the Eskom board was R5.945 million. It declined to R5.274 million in 2022.

On 1 October 2022, former Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan reconstituted the Eskom board to restore governance, operational stability, and strategic direction.

“The new Eskom board brings broad experience, expertise and skills that will provide stability and strategic direction to the entity,” Gordhan said.

The new Eskom board was tasked with addressing loadshedding issues, procurement, eliminating corruption, and ensuring a reliable energy supply.

Mteto Nyati was appointed as the chairman of the Eskom board on 1 November 2023, succeeding Mpho Makwana.

Between the 2022 and 2025 financial years, the total remuneration for non-executive directors increased significantly.

In 2022, the directors were paid R5.3 million. This increased to R7.9 million in 2023 and to R12.2 million in 2024.

The biggest increase came in the 2025 financial year, when payments to non-executive directors rose to R22.4 million.

This means that over the last four years, remuneration for Eskom’s board members has increased from R5.3 million to R22.4 million.

Eskom chairman Mteto Nyati paid R2.7 million

The higher fees saw Eskom chairman Mteto Nyati’s remuneration increase from R1.4 million in 2024 to R2.7 million in 2025.

Other non-executive directors also enjoyed significant increases. Leslie Mkhabela’s remuneration, for example, increased from R823,000 to R1.8 million.

The lowest-paid non-executive director on the Eskom board was paid R1.775 million, and 5 of the 11 members were paid more than R2 million.

Notably, the Eskom board and its committees held fewer meetings in 2025 than in 2024. In 2025, it held 78 meetings, significantly lower than the 94 in 2024.

The power utility said that the 78 meetings exceeded the number of meetings approved by the shareholder.

“The significant number of ad hoc meetings attended without remuneration reflects the commitment of the board and its committees,” it said.

This, it said, was needed to adequately address governance requirements and respond to heightened governance demands.

It added that the year-on-year increase in non-executive director remuneration reflected the change in the remuneration structure applied in the 2025 financial year.

Eskom explained that this new remuneration structure aligned directors’ fees with actual work performed.

The table below shows the payment increases to Eskom’s non-executive directors over the last year.

Eskom Board	2025	2024
Mteto Nyati (chairman)	R2.724 million	R1.358 million
Leslie Mkhabela	R1.832 million	R0.823 million
Fathima Gany	R2.352 million	R1.081 million
Lwazi Goqwana	R1.775 million	R0.754 million
Clive le Roux	R2.237 million	R1.061 million
Ayanda Mafuleka	R1.832 million	R0.820 million
Dr Tsakani Mthombeni	R1.832 million	R0.849 million
Bheki Ntshalintshali	R1.775 million	R0.873 million
Tryphosa Ramano	R2.006 million	R1.018 million
Dr Busisiwe Vilakazi	R1.832 million	R0.881 million
Dr Claudelle von Eck	R2.199 million	R1.058 million