(Reuters) – The CEO of South African coal miner Exxaro Resources, Nombasa Tsengwa, has resigned with immediate effect, the company said on Thursday, two months after she was suspended pending a governance probe.
Long-time finance director Riaan Koppeschaar, who has been acting CEO since December, will continue in the role while the company looks for a permanent replacement, Exxaro said in a statement.
“We have accepted the resignation of Dr. Tsengwa”, Exxaro board chairman Geoffrey Qhena said in the statement.
“We will initiate an expedited process to identify and appoint a new CEO who will continue to drive growth,
excellence, and innovation within our business.”
Tsengwa’s successor will be tasked with leading Exxaro, a major supplier of thermal coal to South Africa’s power plants, as it searches for clean energy minerals, mainly copper and manganese, in its quest to diversify away from polluting coal.
Tsengwa, who is also the president of the Minerals Council South Africa, the main representative body for miners in the country, was not immediately available to comment.
On Dec. 4, Exxaro announced it had placed Tsengwa on “precautionary suspension with immediate effect, pending the
outcome of an independent investigation into allegations related to workplace conduct and governance practice”.
(Reporting by Nelson Banya, Editing by Franklin Paul)
