Mpho Makwana is a 53-year-old famous South African business leader born in June 1970. He serves as the Chairman of the Eskom Board of Directors and his net worth is unknown, but he is believed to be worth over $1 million (over R18 million).
An accomplished business person, Mpho Makwana has played executive and C-Suite roles in the public and private sectors for decades. Not only has he been on the board of over 10 companies, but he has gone ahead to establish his own investment company, Epitome Investments. He was appointed Chairman of the Eskom Board of Directors in September 2022.
Mpho Makwana’s Biography Summary
- Full name: Paul Mpho Makwana
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: June 1970
- Mpho Makwana’s Age: 53 years old
- Ethnicity: Black
- Nationality: South African
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christian
- Marital Status: Married
- Mpho Makwana’s Wife: Tshiamo Makwana
- Mpho Makwana’s Children: 1 daughter; More Makwana
- Mpho Makwana’s Net worth: $1 million+ (over R18 million)
- Famous for: Being the founder and chairman of Epitome Investments and chairman of Eskom Board of Directors
- Mpho Makwana’s Instagram: @goseboliii
- Twitter: @lionthree7
- Facebook: @MphoMakwana
What Is Mpho Makwana’s Age?
Mpho Makwana is 53 years old. He was born in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, in June 1970. He grew up in Jane Furse in the Sekhukhuneland District Municipality of the Limpopo Province.
He began taking up executive roles in his 20s. At the age of 24 (in 1994) he was employed by the Black Management Forum (BMF) as the Head of Organisational Transformation. Also, in 1996, at the age of 26, he was appointed the first director for Equal Opportunities in the Department of Labour.
Mpho Makwana Qualifications
For his high school education, Mpho Makwana attended S J van der Merwe Technical High School located in Jane Furse, Lebowakgomo, and Promat College in Kempton Park. Then in 1988, he enrolled in the University of Zululand and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and Political Science in 1990. In the next year, he acquired B.Admin (Hons) at the University of Pretoria.
At the time, he was the only Black person in the class of 1991 at Tukkies. And the terms of the policy of the university made his study very challenging. They had lectures in Afrikaans and wrote exams in English. Nevertheless, he successfully completed his postgraduate program in December 1991.
Mpho further obtained an Executive Development Program (EDP) certificate from the Chicago-based Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in the year 2000. From 2006 to 2008, he completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Retail Management at the University of Stirling in Scotland. He also earned an MBA from the same university.
Highlights of Mpho Makwana’s Qualifications
- B.Admin – the University of Zululand (1988-1990)
- B.Admin (Hons) – the University of Pretoria (February 1991-December 1991)
- Executive Development Program Certificate – Kellogg School of Management in Northwestern University, Chicago (2000)
- Post Graduate Diploma in Retail Management – the University of Stirling, Scotland (2006-2008)
- MBA – the University of Stirling
Mpho Makawana’s Business Career Has Spanned Over 30 Years
In the year 1991, Mpho Makwana began his career as a Personnel Officer in the then Department of Post & Telecommunications. He was the first black postgraduate in the Department. Three years later, he joined the Black Management Forum (BMF) as its Head of Organisational Transformation. Consequently, he represented the forum in the RDP Council.
Then, in 1996, he was appointed the first Director for Equal Opportunities in the Department of Labour. He had the role of defining public policy to shape legislation on employment and occupational equity. Mpho Makwana later served as the President of the Institute of People Management (IPM) for five years (from 1999 to 2004). During that time, he was a speaker at the Chartered Institute of People Development (CIPD).
Afterward, he got invited to the Global Alliance for a New Humanity as an honorary member. Thus, Mr. Makwana was one of the first two Africans to be honorary members of the Founding Council. Meanwhile, he joined Monitor Group SA in April 2002 and worked as a director for over seven years. Between 2006 and 2009, he was a Group Executive Transformation Member at EDCON.
Also, the Pretoria-born was a member of FutureWorld for more than eight years. FutureWorld is a global network of business practitioners. During his time there, Mpho Makwana helped organizations understand their future business context, choosing their ideal future. Furthermore, he was the non-executive director of Sephaku Holdings Ltd. from January 2013 to September 2018.
He was also the independent non-executive director of Adcock Ingram and equally served on the Risk Committee and TSEC – Sustainability Committee between February 2012 and November 2018. He further got associated with BioTherm Energy Ltd – one of the leading renewable energy developers in South Africa, as a non-executive director from September 2011 to October 2022. Since November 2011, Mpho Makwana has been working as the non-executive director of LR Management Group.
— Mpho Makwana (@lionthree7) February 1, 2018
Makwana Has Served on The Board of Many Companies
Throughout his decades-long career as a business executive, Mpho Makwana has served as a board member of numerous companies. He was the Chairman of enX Group Limited for over five years (from February 2014 to July 2019). During the time, he was also the independent non-executive director of the group.
He additionally served as the Chairman and the independent non-executive director of Gibela Rail (RF) Pty Ltd from October 2017 to December 2019. Gibela spearheads the revitalization of rail transportation in metro areas in SA.
Subsequently, Mpho Makwana was employed as the Chairman of Illovo Sugar Limited in December 2017 and left his executive position after two years. He was the Chairman of the advisory board of Investing in African Mining Indaba for more than five years.
Subsequently, he moved to the Limpopo Economic Development Agency in Polokwane, Limpopo in December 2019. While there, he served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for over two years and left in March 2022. Additionally, he got associated with ArcelorMittal South Africa Limited – the largest steel producer on the African continent in February 2013. While he served on SET Committee and REMCO, he also chaired the company’s board.
In addition, Mpho was the Chairman of The Boardroom Alliance (Trading as Heidrick & Struggles) for ten years and exited the role in May 2023. He further chaired the South African Forestry Company (SAFCOL) between October 2018 and May 2023. Under the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), SAFCOL is the third largest state-owned company in South Africa.
Interestingly, Mpho Makwana’s impact was also felt in the financial sector as he was the independent non-executive director of the board of Nedbank Group and Nedbank Limited for a little over ten years (from November 2011 to December 2021). He likewise served as the financial institution’s lead independent director from 2019 to 2022 and then rose to the rank of the Chairman of Nedbank Limited and Nedbank Group in November 2021. He left the position in May 2023.
Is Mpho Makwana Eskom Chairman?
Yes, Mpho Makwana is the chairperson of the Eskom Board of Directors. He was appointed to the role by Minister of Public Enterprise, Pravin Gordhan in September 2022. With the aim to reposition the state power utility to play a role in the energy sector, the company’s board was restructured and reconstituted at the time and Mpho was tasked with chairing the new board of Eskom that would have a term of three years.
As the replacement of Prof Malegapuru Makgoba, the 53-year-old has worked towards improving Eskom’s performance by changing its management structure. This includes scrapping the position of chief operating officer and giving individual plant managers more direct access to senior executives.
Though Mpho Makwana was said not to be the right candidate for the job by energy expert, David Lipschitz, he has made serious efforts to improve Eskom’s plant performance. Lipschitz was against his appointment due to his tight engagements, as he was on the board of several companies at the time, and the position needed dedicated people who would be full-time employed.
The former Gibela chairman, however, has gone ahead to resign from some of his executive positions in other companies since becoming Eskom Chairman. It’s worth noting that he had previously served as the Chairman of Eskom Holdings Limited from November 2009 to June 2011.
He was also a board director of the company between July 2002 and June 2011. And was promoted to the position of Assistant General Manager on June 27th, 2011.
Mpho Makwana’s Trustee Roles
Over the years, Mpho Makwana has carried out the duties of a trustee in several organizations and has equally been a member of the board of trustees. In April 2003, he was appointed a trustee of IMC Brand SA, where he also was a director for over three years. Later in March 2008, he became a LoveLife trustee and then rose to the position of Chairman of the Board of Trustees in January 2010.
He resigned from his trustee role at LoveLife in February 2014. And subsequently was a trustee of the Vodacom Foundation Trust between July 2013 to November 2018. More so, he was a member of the board of trustees of Brand South Africa for more than three years (April 2016 to May 2019). Mpho Makwana was associated with Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust as a fundraising committee member between September 2014 and August 2021.
He also has been serving on the board of trustees of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund since July 2015. In addition, the Eskom Chairman was a member of the board of trustees of Canon Collins Education and Legal Assistance Trust in the United Kingdom from October 2018 to December 2021. Presently, Makwana volunteers as a trustee at World Wildlife Fund South Africa, FLG Modise Pentecost Foundation, Business Trust, and The Brand Union Pty Ltd.
What Is Mpho Makwana’s Net Worth?
[BREAKING NEWS] Public Entreprises Minister Pravin Gordhan announces Mpho Makwana as the new chairperson of the Eskom board.
Tune into #Newzroom405 for more details. pic.twitter.com/8XdVlwmsBD
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) September 30, 2022
Mpho Makwana’s net worth is yet to be made public, however, he is said to be worth over $1 million (over R18 million). As one of the most prominent business executives in South Africa, he is believed to have earned a great fortune from serving as the chairman of numerous companies. Nevertheless, his salary has never been publicized.
Throughout his successful career as a business leader, Mpho has worked as an independent non-executive director of top-notch companies like Gibela Rail Pty Ltd, Adcock Ingram, Nedbank Group, and enX Group Limited. For more than 11 years, he was the non-executive director of LR Management Group and since May 2020, he has been executing the same role at Invicta Holdings Limited.
Interestingly, Mr. Makwana has held executive positions at multinational companies. He has been the non-executive director of Platinum Group Metals Ltd since February 2022. The company is based in Vancouver, United States, Canada, and Johannesburg. He has further increased his wealth by establishing Epitome Investments (Pty) Ltd in June 2012 and has been serving as the founder and chairman since then.
His company is focused on multigenerational future-driven sustainable investments in renewable energy. More so, the 53-year-old is a co-founder of LionPride Investment Holdings. And in April 2023, he was appointed Commissioner for Presidential Climate Commission.
List of Mpho Makwana’s Net Worth and Income Sources
- Business leadership career
- Epitome Investments (Pty) Ltd – Founder & Chairman
- LionPride Investment Holdings – Co-founder
Who Is Mpho Makwana’s Wife?
Mpho Makwana is married to Tshiamo Makwana. The couple lead a private lifestyle and thus, it’s unknown when they got married and how long they have been together. Nonetheless, Tshiamo is known to be a healthcare practitioner, working as a social worker in Midrand, Gauteng.
Mpho Makwana’s wife earned a B. Social Work degree from the University of Fort Hare in 1992. For more than thirteen years, she was a social worker associated with the Department of Health & Social Development. She left the job in 2011 and then became a director of their family-owned venture capital firm, Epitome Investments Pty Ltd., the following year.
As a qualified social worker, Tshiamo Makwana works with children, teenagers, and adults in a bid to repair psychological challenges within communities.
Meet Mpho Makwana’s Daughter, More Makwana
Mpho Makwana has a daughter named More Makwana and she serves as a director of Epitome Investments owned by their family. She is an experienced internal audit professional who has worked in both the private and public sectors. She specializes in internal audits, performance audits, quality assurance, and compliance.
After completing a degree program in Accounting Science from the University of Witwatersrand, More joined the National Treasury of South Africa as a trainee in January 2011. She worked her way up to become a senior performance auditor before leaving the department in December 2016.
In the past years, she has offered internal audit and performance assurance services to a number of companies and they include KPMG, Flight Centre Travel Group RSA, Santam Insurance, and SITA SOC (Ltd). Amazingly, she has continuously furthered her education, racking up many Auditing Certificates.
While Mpho Makwana’s daughter completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Internal Audit at the University of South Africa in July 2021, she bagged Auditing Information Systems Certificate from the University of Witwatersrand in December 2022.
