State-owned enterprises were being turned into "slaughterhouses" for black professionals such as Eskom chief executive Jacob Maroga, the Black Management Forum (BMF) said on Thursday.

The BMF said in a statement following the announcement of Maroga's resignation that this "appalling trend" showed a total disregard for transformation of the socio-economic landscape.

Maroga had experienced a fate similar to the SABC's Dali Mpofu and Transnet heir-apparent Siyabonga Gama.

"We reiterate... that pushing experienced Africans to leave these positions is aimed at destroying institutional memory and experiences of Africans in the economy so that they remain at the bottom of the economic pyramid," it said.

However Jaco Kleynhans, spokesperson for the union Solidarity, said Maroga had simply not been able to manage the electricity supplier efficiently.

Restore stability at Eskom

"The time has come for renewal in Eskom's management and that is exactly why Maroga's resignation is welcomed," he said.

The Freedom Front Plus also welcomed Maroga's resignation, saying it would restore stability at Eskom and attract investors.

"His resignation will bring more certainty and investors will be more interested in South Africa now.

"Workers, (and) middle and senior managers at Eskom will also be more motivated to do their work," spokesperson Pieter Groenewald said.

Maroga should not be given a golden handshake as he did not deserve any bonus.

Maroga did the "honourable thing"

"He has proven himself to be incompetent. We also call on government to not redeploy Maroga in any other public enterprise as chief executive officer," Groenewald said.

The Independent Democrats said that given the persistence of problems at Eskom, Maroga had done the "honourable thing" by resigning.

Lance Greyling, the party's energy spokesperson, said the resignation was however not a solution to Eskom's crisis.

"We need a far more transparent and accountable energy governance system in South Africa, which will thoroughly scrutinise the actions of Eskom and involve all South Africans in deciding on our future energy choices."

Sapa

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