President Jacob Zuma intervened to prevent Eskom chief executive Jacob Maroga from being sacked by the Eskom board, the online news provider Sake24 reported on Wednesday.

According to Sake24, which is effectively the online version of Afrikaans newspaper Sake, Zuma intervened on Friday after last week's reports that the board wanted Maroga to go.

As a consequence, the Eskom board has been embroiled in an fierce dispute with government, mainly Public Enterprises minister Barbara Hogan and her deputy Enoch Godongwana, said the report.

"Meanwhile, Eskom is apparently leaderless and the electricity giant's lips are sealed," the report said.

An unnamed source told Sake24 its is "tremendously disconcerting" that the leadership of an organisation that has so much strategic significance for the whole country had " been paralysed in this way by intervention from politicians".

According to this source, Eskom's board decided that Maroga should vacate his post and while he was formally asked to resign; he refused ? "which implies that he was fired".

Zuma reportedly heard about the board's plans on Friday morning and immediately ordered Hogan to intervene to prevent the dismissal.

The report added that the ensuing squabble between the board and government representatives has got so bad that it may culminate in the entire Eskom board being given its marching orders.