And he has harsh words for former public protector Thuli Madonsela as he steps down. In a dramatic turn of events, Eskom CEO Brian Molefe has thrown in the towel and will leave the power utility on January 1.

In a statement released on Friday afternoon, the Eskom boss attacked former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s State of Capture, which had sketched a damning picture of his suspected close ties with the Gupta family.

Molefe said he had to step down in the interests of the utility and the public.

“I wish to reiterate that this is not an admission of wrongdoing on my part,” Molefe said.

“It is rather what I feel to be the correct thing to do on the interests of the company and good corporate governance.”

Molefe will leave Eskom on January 1 2017.

The Eskom CEO was implicated in Madonela’s report, which was released last week.

The report stated that Molefe had exchanged 58 mobile phone calls with members of the controversial Gupta family during the period when their companies were trying to buy a company that supplied Eskom with coal.

According to the report, Molefe was also in the Saxonwold area where the Guptas live on 19 occasions in the three months to mid-November last year.

Molefe said last week, following the release of the report, that this was unfair on him as it painted him as corrupt without affording him the opportunity to respond.

He broke down at the presentation of Eskom’s results last week, after speaking at length about the report.

Molefe again on Friday criticised what the report said about allegations of state capture, saying it was regrettable that the report was completed in haste and that it was just “observations”.

He said the observations were based on “part-facts or simply unfounded”.

In her remedial action, Madonsela instructed that a judicial commission of inquiry be established to further investigate the allegations and that the sole judge be appointed by Chief Justice Moegeng Mogoeng.

Molefe said in his statement on Friday: “In the meantime harm is done to the institution [Eskom] it has been my honour to lead in the most difficult times, to its reputation and to my own. I say nothing of the harm, too, to others close to me.”

However, Molefe said he was confident that in time he would be able to show that he had nothing wrong and clear his name.

He said he was leaving Eskom “in the interest of good corporate governance”.

“I will take time off to reflect before I decide on my next career move,” he said.

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