BY Mickie Langwenya
ZULWINI – Former Eswatini Water Services Corporation Director of Strategic Services Sikhumbuzo Sipho Tsabedze is the new chief executive officer (CEO) for Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority (ESERA).
The unveiling of the new CEO was announced by ESERA’s Chairperson Lungile Dlamini during a breakfast meeting held today at the Sibane Hotel.
Speaking during the meeting, Dlamini said Tsabedze role will require balancing the complex and often conflicting stakeholder interests.
She said the newly appointed CEO come at a time when the Regulator is in the process of developing its third year strategic plan spanning 2023 to 2026, and this will provide him with the opportunity to influence the strategic direction of the Authority and the energy industry in general.
“Tsabedze also come at a time when the regulator is transforming from being an electricity only regulator to also taking over the regulation of downstream petroleum activities following the promulgation of the Petroleum Act of 2020,” she said.
Tsabedze is the second CEO to be appointed ESERA CEO following its establishment and he replaces Vusumuzi Mkhubane who retired in April this year.
When addressing the meeting after his appointment, Tsabedze said having worked both high energy users and the national utility in the past, it was this privileges that have given him insight into understanding pain that comes from both sides of the business operations.
He said he was hopping that this experience will assist him when he, together with the board members, engage each other to serve the interests of the nation and that of the economy.
“However much, I do want to commit that I will do my outmost best and deliver on the tasks which lie ahead of us,” he said.
Tsabedze brings with him vast experience and expertise having worked in some government parastatals, including Eswatini Electricity Company (ECC) where he served for a period of close to 20 years. And for the past nine years he has been with Eswatini Water Corporation Services (EWSC) where he was the director of Strategic Services Director.
ABOUT SIKHUMBUZO TSABEDZE
- Mr Tsabedze joins the Authority armed with a Bsc degree, LLB and MBL among other academic qualifications. He worked for the Eswatini Water Services Corporation as Director Strategic Services. Prior to that, he spent 13 years in various senior management positions at Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) where he held the following positions: Marketing Manager, General Manager Human Resources, Corporate Services Manager and GM Customer Services. He is a Chartered Marketer (SA) and serves in various Boards, hence he joins ESERA with a wealth of experience in the corporate world and particularly the electricity sector, which will be very valuable to both the Authority and the energy sector as a whole.
During his years at EEC, and when the Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority was still at its infancy, he quickly embraced the concept of regulation, and as such was very instrumental in the development of some of the initial regulatory tools in place today, such as the quality of supply and service standards, compliance monitoring and enforcement frameworks, just to name a few.
