As load-shedding continues to leave South Africans in the dark, Eskom’s battle against criminality at its power stations rages on.

This is evident by the recent arrests of two security guards and a coal truck driver and his supervisor in two separate incidents.

Diesel thieves stopped

A case of armed robbery and attempted theft was opened after five suspects attempted to steal diesel at Transnet Freight Rail’s (TFR) Waterval Boven depot in Mpumalanga.

According to TFR, the men were caught in the act following a tip by community members.

“At approximately 02:00 on Monday, armed criminals managed to gain access to the TFR site with the intention to steal diesel. The criminals entered with two vehicles, including a fuel tanker, and proceeded to siphon thousands of litres of diesel into their tanker.

“SAPS was tipped off by members of the community after noticing suspicious activity at the depot. As the police arrived, the suspects fled the scene on foot, leaving behind their vehicle and the fuel tanker. The suspects had already transferred approximately 18 000l of diesel to their fuel tanker before fleeing the scene,” the company said.

TFR said the arrests were a ‘major breakthrough’ in the fight against diesel theft.

“The crime scene was thoroughly processed to collect evidence and to possibly link the suspects to similar crimes, such as the armed robbery and theft of diesel at TFR’s Lydenburg and Witbank depots.

“The Asset Forfeiture Unit has also been activated to ensure the vehicles used in the commissioning of the crime are forfeited to the state. This is regarded as a major breakthrough and it is expected that more arrests are imminent,” TFR said.

The company called on communities to immediately report any suspicious activities to the police.

“TFR commends the members of the community and the SAPS for their swift action and calls on all stakeholders to join the fight against fuel theft by reporting any suspicious trucks or persons selling diesel at suspiciously low prices in the communities and, more importantly, to refrain from buying fuel from unregistered traders as this only serves to exacerbate the problem by providing a thriving market for illicit trade.”

Coal thieves arrested

In a separate incident, two people were arrested at Eskom’s Matla Power Station in Mpumalanga on Monday for the alleged theft of coal.

According to Eskom, the duo are workers of a transport company contracted to the power utility to transport coal.

“The arrests took place after the truck driver was found to be in possession of sub-grade coal destined for the facility. The coal swapping allegedly took place at a known illegal coal yard in the Mpumalanga area, prior to the delivery being made at the Matla Power Station.

“During questioning, the truck driver admitted to offloading the ‘good-quality’ coal he had received from the Arthur Taylor Colliery, also in Mpumalanga. He further alleged that he was acting on the instructions of his supervisor when he proceeded to the Rondebult [Mpumalanga] coal yard to exchange the coal,” Eskom said in a statement.

The power utility explained that coal theft is a ‘highly organised criminal activity’ that not only enriches syndicates, but causes damage to power stations.

“The criminal black market for such commodities and establishment of illegal coal yards and dumpsites are expanding at a rapid rate due to the lag in law enforcement and the high levels of corruption and collusion.

“Eskom loses billions of rand due to the misappropriation of coal and similar commodities, which directly affects production,” the power utility said.

Eskom general manager for security Advocate Karen Pillay said the arrests – which follow arrests on similar charges at Camden and Kendal power stations – are a significant breakthrough for the power utility.

“It also confirms the extent of criminality and prevalence of organised crime affecting the organisation. Eskom has discovered through investigations that the control processes are deliberately bypassed by criminal employees of the mines, transporters and Eskom alike. We shall pursue these unscrupulous individuals relentlessly and ensure that justice is served.

“It is a clear demonstration of our determination to deal with criminality within Eskom,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za