Trade Union Solidarity on Wednesday expressed concern over the lack of information on who was leading Eskom following reports that CEO Jacob Maroga had been barred from his office.

"They [staff] don't know where the company is going, they don't know who the head of the company is," said spokesman Jaco Kleynhans of the approximately 8 000 members working at the power utility.

"We have more than 100 shop stewards there and it is almost impossible to find out what's going on... we are extremely worried about it."

News reports on Wednesday morning said Maroga was no longer CEO but neither the company nor the department of public enterprises would comment, promising a statement later in the day or on Thursday.

Acting Eskom chairman Mpho Makwana declined to comment, telling Sapa: "I am unable to discuss that right now."

Maroga was believed to have resigned verbally last week but returned to work on Monday with the company saying there had been a difference in interpretation of the gesture.

Chairman Bobby Godsell then resigned.

Kleynhans said staff morale was already low after the recent pay negotiations and a notice that bonus schemes may be terminated.

"They need to build a relationship of trust again between workers and management," he said.

"Some are working 16 hours a day to maintain some of the power stations because they are understaffed. People forget that."

Kleynhans said a recent union survey revealed more than 60 percent of the workers there did not trust management anymore.

The Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) said Godsell's departure was a great loss.

Fedusa general secretary Dennis George said Godsell was an "upstanding" man who had been a great asset to Eskom".

"Godsell is a very familiar man in the trade union circle with a good reputation of being a man of good integrity as well as a hard-worker. We support Godsell in the choices that he has made and we trust and are confident that he would not have resigned withoutgood reason," said George.

"We just want the Eskom board to sort out their management issues so that they can focus more closely on providing the hard-working people of this country with good quality service, these issues should be correctly sorted out but should not be a top priority."

Derek Luyt, an advocacy officer at the Public Service Accountability Monitor, said he felt sorry for Eskom and believed the real problem lay in the government not having a settled energy policy.

"I feel quite sorry for Eskom, they are trying to raise money for capex but they don't know what government's settled energy policy is.

"The real problem here is government and particularly the department of public enterprises... I feel very sorry for Bobby Godsell and Jacob Maroga because they are in an intolerable situation. Racism and management issues are red herrings."

Meanwhile, the ANC Youth League took issue with the National Union of Mineworkers' expression of support for Godsell.

Num secretary-general Frans Baleni said allegations of racism against Godsell were unfounded and pointed out that he did not apply for the post of chairman but "was approached by the ANC government who is the shareholder."

But the league said: "The ANCYL will stop at nothing at defending the principles of transformation in state-owned enterprises and will never be deviated by spokespeople of white monopoly capital in South Africa."

Sapa

Le expensive life? How much do you you need to earn to survive in the city? Meriza La Key calculates.

Govt's feast of riches New cars for the country's ruling political elite amounted to more than R45-million.

Vanilla Ice, ice baby? Castle Lite has confirmed that the star of its advertising campaign is the real Vanilla Ice.