Ellen Shezi
Pietermaritzburg,South Africa
Summary
Accomplished professional with expertise in power system operations management and maintenance of electrical machinery. An individual demonstrating strong leadership skills and technical leadership. Proficient in electrical systems design and understanding, with a proven track record in project management and risk management. Adept at stakeholder engagement and financial administration, leveraging critical-thinking and decision-making skills to drive successful field operations. Skilled in technical report writing, Microsoft Office Suite and Power system simulation tools. A leader with good governance with a committed focus to enhancing team leadership capabilities and individual growth.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
13
13
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work History
Middle Manager High Voltage Plant (GMR 2.1)
Eskom Transmission East Grid
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
09.2018 - 01.2025
- Led management efforts to optimise operational efficiency and achieve measurable results
- Managed and optimised financial resources efficiently
- Oversaw maintenance operations, leading team to achieve high efficiency
- Developed and maintained safety protocols to minimise risk in workplace environments
- Developed comprehensive emergency preparedness frameworks
- Ensured safe and effective operation of high voltage substations up to 400kV
- Oversaw 80 employees including Senior Advisors, Supervisors, Engineers, and various artisans with a budget of R95 million.
- Appointed as GMR2.1 Legal appointee for Transmission substations in KZN ensuring safe electrical machinery operation
- Led performance reviews, identified areas for improvement.
- Boosted department efficiency by streamlining operational processes.
- Established clear budgets and cost controls strategies to meet objectives.
- Translated senior management directives into actionable front-line policies and implemented changes with staff.
- Enforced safety regulations to reduce workplace accidents.
- Ensured compliance with Eskom operating regulations and statutory requirements
Middle Manager Performance and Works Planning
Eskom Transmission East Grid
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
09.2016 - 08.2018
- Management
- Planning
- Network and Plant Performance and Compliance
- Emergency Preparedness
- Safety
- Financial Management (Budget of ~R26 million)
- My role in this position was to ensure that procedures and systems existed for the collation of appropriate performance data and historical operation and maintenance activities
- Analyse and evaluate such data for the purpose of recommending performance and productivity enhancement programmes as well as ensure compliance to Eskom Standards and procedures
- Provide assurance through audits and performance evaluations
- This was facilitated by an annual budget of ~R26 million and a total staff complement of 22 which was made up of 3 Senior Engineers, 12 Senior Advisors, 3 Senior technicians and 4 juniors
- Boosted department efficiency by streamlining operational processes.
Network Management Centre Manager
Eskom Distribution KZN
Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal
06.2014 - 08.2016
- Real time network management
- Operations analysis
- Financial Management (Annual budget of ~R33 million)
- Shift Management
- Documentation management
- Safety management
- Outage management
- Emergency Preparedness
- I lead a team of 43 employees within a budget of ~R30 million
- Staff comprised of 5 Supervisors, 32 Network Controllers and 6 support staff
- My duties entailed ensuring the real time management of the KZN power system from 11kV up to 400kV by use of Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition systems (SCADA)
- This work involved shift work as the Network Management Centre is a 24/7 operations department and thus I had to ensure that resources were adequately managed
Network Security Planning Engineer
Eskom Distribution KZN
Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal
08.2008 - 05.2014
- Performed comprehensive outage evaluations to enhance system performance and reliability
- Developed and implemented comprehensive emergency preparedness strategies for operational resilience
- Performed load flow analysis to optimise electrical network performance
- Conducted fault level analysis and generated detailed reports
- Developed and implemented network contingency strategies
- Operational support to Control
- Implemented strategies for efficient load-shedding management
- Supported EITs in achieving professional growth through targeted training initiatives
- Delivered operational support to departments through power system analysis and network reconfiguration recommendations
- Expertly used power system analysis software including Matlab and Digsilent PowerFactory
- Collaborated with technical committees to create effective load-shedding strategies for Eskom provinces
Engineer in Training (EIT)
Eskom Distribution KZN
Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal
02.2007 - 07.2008
- Training in Distribution as Engineer according to requirements by ECSA in the following departments: Network Optimisation, Plant, Technical Specialist Group (Substations and Live Line), Edendale Customer Network Centre, Technology and Quality, Protection, Metering
Education
Middle Management Programme Certificate -
Henley Business School
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal 01.2016 - 06.2016
Master of Science - Electrical Engineering
University of Cape Town
Cape Town, Western Cape 01.2011 - 12.2014
Bachelor of Science - Electrical Engineering
University of Cape Town
Cape Town 01.2003 - 12.2006
Senior Certificate - Matriculation with Distinction
Hillcrest High School
01.1998 - 12.2002
Skills
- Leadership skills
- Operations management
- Power Systems management
- Interpersonal skills
- Electrical systems understanding
- Project Management
- Electrical systems design
- Technical report writing
- Team Leadership
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Stakeholder engagement
- Critical-thinking
- Technical leadership
- Decision-making skills
- Financial administration
- Risk Management
- Field operations
Certification
Government Certificate of Competency - Factories, Department of Labour, South Africa, 01/01/18
Languages
English
Fluent
Afrikaans
Intermediate
IsiZulu
Fluent
Affiliations
- Baking
- Music
Custom
- Naresh Ramparshad, Senior Manager: East Grid, Eskom Transmission, Westville, KwaZulu-Natal, 031 279 6310, naresh.ramparshad@eskom.co.za
- Ellan Phaahla, Middle Manager Secondary Plant, Eskom Transmission, Rustenburg, North West, 011 872 2877, ellan.phaahla@eskom.co.za
- Dayahalen Chetty, Manager: Network Optimization, Eskom Distribution, Mkondeni, KwaZulu-Natal, 033 395 3655, dayahalen.chetty@eskom.co.za
Personal Information
- ID Number: 8411050333088
- Gender: Female
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Middle Manager High Voltage Plant (GMR 2.1)
Eskom Transmission East Grid
09.2018 - 01.2025
Middle Manager Performance and Works Planning
Eskom Transmission East Grid
09.2016 - 08.2018
Middle Management Programme Certificate -
Henley Business School
01.2016 - 06.2016
Network Management Centre Manager
Eskom Distribution KZN
06.2014 - 08.2016
Master of Science - Electrical Engineering
University of Cape Town
01.2011 - 12.2014
Network Security Planning Engineer
Eskom Distribution KZN
08.2008 - 05.2014
Engineer in Training (EIT)
Eskom Distribution KZN
02.2007 - 07.2008
Bachelor of Science - Electrical Engineering
University of Cape Town
01.2003 - 12.2006
Senior Certificate - Matriculation with Distinction
Hillcrest High School
01.1998 - 12.2002
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