Medupi general manager Zweli Witbooi ‘thrives on challenges’

If all goes according to plan, Zweli Witbooi, the general manager of Eskom’s Medupi power station, will have its Unit 4 generator back in service by April next year — four months ahead of schedule.

In spite of severe damage when Unit 4’s generator exploded last August, Witbooi says his station is currently running at an energy availability factor (EAF) of just over 80%.

This week the Sunday Times toured the plant near near Lephalale, Limpopo. After a safety induction that included a few mentions of snakes, the team was taken to the office where Witbooi, 47, occupies the hot seat.  

Behind him a large window perfectly frames the station, which has a total asset value of R137bn.

“Looking through this window, you get a feel for Medupi’s size. It is the fourth largest coal-fired station in the world. At first glance it looks big but not massive, then you see the cars parked next to it and they are positively tiny,” Witbooi says.

“We have an installed capacity of 4,320MW. Without Unit 4 we are generating 3,240MW and our year-to-date EAF is 81%. Once Unit 4 is back we are hoping to achieve a 92% EAF across the six units.”

He says that over the last three years Medupi, excluding Unit 4, has contributed significantly to Eskom’s total revenue.

“For instance, Medupi contributed 20% to the overall generation group revenue by ending the 2023 financial year with an EAF performance of above 70%. Medupi’s performance in the year to date is already showing much improved EAF of 80% compared to (the previous year),” Witbooi said.

The explosion in August last year was his call to arms.   

“I arrived two months after the explosion. The morale was low and there was a lot of anxiety. I had to inspire and help people see the positives and show them there is hope. I can tell you the team I have here now is one of the best I’ve worked with in my career of 20-plus years.”

It has been a long road. 

“We were delayed a bit because we had a lot of involvement with the re-insurers in trying to get everything aligned so we could get the insurance claims correctly handled,” Witbooi said.  

“Up to R1.5bn is internal Eskom insurance. Beyond that other companies, mostly from abroad, step in. Once we had their support, we could do what we couldn’t do right after the incident.”

I arrived two months after the explosion. The morale was low and there was a lot of anxiety. I had to inspire and help people see the positives and show them there is hope. I can tell you the team I have here now is one of the best I’ve worked with in my career of 20-plus years

And that was to start the fix.  

“We have placed a contract for the new generator, but we are also working with our original manufacturer, General Electric. We looked at their fleet and we have identified a match in the Netherlands in terms of a generator of our size and capacity. 

“Preparations are ongoing to do assessments and tests on this generator. Once these are done, we will ship it here and install it. Our worst-case scenario is to still meet our initial commitment of August 2024, our best-case scenario is by April,” Witbooi said.  

He explains what they need. 

“A generator comprises of three major components. One is the casing which contains the main electric generating components, which is the rotor. This is a stand-alone component and you can buy it separately. We have a brand-new spare, so that is not an issue. The one that was inside the generator that exploded is also salvageable and we will refurbish it and keep it as a spare.  

“The other part we need from overseas is the stator, which is bolted onto the casing. It is really just a hollow part where you slot in the rotor. We are bringing in the stator and the casings which we will adapt. The good news is that the frame itself is an exact match to our specifications, so we don’t have to change the foundations. The only things that will need configuration are the coolers,” Witbooi said. 

“When I arrived, the team was already on a particular path. All I had to do was to reinforce them, plug some knowledge gaps and inspire. It is still a tough job, but it becomes doable if you know what to do and how to go about doing it.” 

Witbooi loves the bushveld.  

“This is my home. I love Lephalale, it is outside the hustle and bustle. We have no road rage and traffic jams. You have a lot of time to think.

Born and raised in Parys in the Free State, Witbooi  is married with four children. He studied electrical engineering at Wits before turning to the national power supplier.  

“After graduating in 2002 I was part of the team of engineers who were recruited to return to service the old, mothballed power stations like Camden, Grootvlei and Komati.  

“We had to deal with tech that was built and brought to life in the 1950s, to modify it and integrate it ... Retrofitting it and making it modern."

After Camden he was promoted to engineering manager responsible for Komati. Another promotion sent him back to Camden. 

“I went back there as group engineering manager responsible for electrical, mechanical, and everything else to do with engineering.”

At the time Camden’s unavailability was sitting at 40%.  “Within a year we had brought it down to about 20%.” 

Witbooi also has an MBA in operations and project management through Exit College in the UAE, “but the degree is awarded by Catalog University in Mercia in Spain”. He also completed a senior certificate in theology to ground himself “ethically and morally”. 

It is not only about personal growth for him.  

“Because of our diverse and culturally rich workforce you cannot just be one dimensional and expect to lead them successfully. I believe in balance. 

“As a power station manager, you can’t be a Jack of all trades, master of none. You almost have to be a Jack of all trades and master of all. It is not always achievable, but you have to aim for that.”

He has some criticism about Eskom’s claims that Matimba power station is the utility’s top performer.

“There is a perception I want to correct. I was reading your article about [Matimba GM] Obakeng Maboetja in which you said Matimba is one of the best-performing power stations, ‘unlike Medupi down the road’. I was wondering what part of the picture you were looking at.” 

He pulls out a piece of paper. 

“If you look at this graph, this is year to date for this current financial year. At one glance you can see the EAF for the entire generational fleet countrywide. As things stand, Medupi with an EAF of 80% is the best performing power station in Eskom’s coal fired fleet. The closest to us is Lethabo, sitting at 67%. Matimba is further down, at 63%.”

He frowns. 

“I am not talking my colleagues down. That is not my intention. When I look at this percentage I am not satisfied. I know there is work to be done.” 

Witbooi is proud of his station.  

“Medupi is certainly not a scrapyard. It was a good investment for our country. People need to understand that we are challenged in a way, because for various reasons when we construct a plant of this magnitude — and this is not unique to South Africa, it happens worldwide — there are certain approaches we must adopt.

“Eskom is rich in technical expertise and has enormous engineering depth. I think we can compete globally when it comes to engineering expertise.  

“Unfortunately, on a project like this you must rely quite a bit on external funders, and they insist that you bring in what you call owner engineers. These are normally people who have done similar projects globally. As a utility we are then bogged down on this road where our engineers play second fiddle.”  

He was not involved in the construction of Medupi. 

“In Botswana, where I spent three years before coming to Medupi, I was responsible for the portfolio of generation, meaning all the existing power plants and the ones we were planning to bring on board. A very important but also very exciting job.” 

Again, he was sent in to be a fixer.  

“They constructed a similar plant to Medupi but on a smaller scale. It was finished in 2012 but that plant had issues. One of my assignments was to go and help improve its availability and that is what I did,” Witbooi said.  

He stares at his power station through the window.  

“In the morning when I enter my office, through that window my power station is the first thing I see and when I shut my door to leave for the day it I the last thing I see. And this station is powered by our greatest asset — our people.”