Farmers, Eskom employee granted bail in electricity theft case

Four accused, including three farmers and an Eskom employee, have been granted bail after appearing in the Randfontein Magistrate’s Court on charges linked to electricity theft, meter tampering and illegal network connections.

According to Ronel Kotze, communications and stakeholder relations practitioner for Eskom’s Gauteng cluster, one of the farmers appeared in court on Monday, February 16, and was granted bail of R20 000. The remaining three accused – two farmers and the Eskom employee – appeared the following day and were each granted R10 000 bail.

All four are expected to return to court on March 31 for further proceedings.

Also read: 3 Randfontein farmers, Eskom worker to appear in court

Kotze said the case forms part of ongoing law-enforcement operations targeting electricity theft and the unlawful use of Eskom infrastructure in Gauteng. She emphasised that electricity theft, meter tampering and illegal transformer connections are criminal offences that endanger lives, damage infrastructure and threaten the sustainability of electricity supply.

“These activities result in significant financial losses and unfairly impact paying customers,” she said.

Kotze added that Eskom is working closely with law-enforcement agencies to investigate and act against those involved. Where Eskom employees are implicated, internal disciplinary processes will run concurrently with criminal proceedings, in line with governance and labour regulations.

Eskom reiterated its commitment to protecting the integrity of its network, ensuring accountability and safeguarding a reliable electricity supply.

“Our commitment to eliminating corruption within Eskom remains unwavering. The vast majority of our employees demonstrate integrity and dedication, and those who engage in wrongdoing will increasingly face investigation and action,” Kotze said.