THE ESKOM FILES | Driven to destruction: How Eskom power stations were 'run into the ground'

Eskom power station managers took extraordinary measures to keep units running at all costs, including allegedly bypassing protection systems and not declaring unplanned losses to avoid disciplinary action, according to an internal document and interviews. 

This was as a result of stringent performance targets managers had to meet under a disciplinary card system introduced by former Eskom group executive for generation and later interim chief executive, Matshela Koko, in February 2016. 

The power utility said that it had found the card system was "not sound" and it had been discontinued.