Tutuka Power Station near Standerton staggers under sabotage and theft

Tutuka Power Station on the outskirts of Standerton is in a quandary. More than one criminal incident have occurred the past year and syndicates by all accounts are getting their hands on parts and equipment.

Dating back to May, a cable was damaged and Unit 5’s return to service was delayed. A control air pipe supplying the turbine system was also cut.

Eskom then issued a statement, saying this was the fifth incident of sabotage since March last year. Additional security personnel and smart technology were introduced at Tutuka.

An employee, however, drove past the security gate on October 3 with a bakkie loaded with five drums of oil.
Katleho Mthokozisi Twala was nabbed and Standerton Police opened a case.

In another attempt in October, the Hawks used their manpower to assist the power utility. An employee tried to steal hydraulic oil from a store room.

Advocate Karen Pillay from Eskom Group Security said Eskom cannot have such individuals, who choose to steal brazenly, within their employment.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and the CEO of Eskom, André de Ruyter, visited Tutuka in July. Ramaphosa then said he was well-briefed on the enormous challenges faced by Tutuka to operate at optimal levels.

He complimented the managers on their commitment.

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The Standerton Advertiser contacted the station manager, Sello Mametja, on Thursday, October 27 with enquiries and he replied the same day via email.

He said drones, canines, specialist security services and intelligent cameras are operational at Tutuka.

Mametja also said reports about the forensic and criminal investigations have been completed and others are being finalised, while new ones are being initiated as the need arises.

“Charges in criminal cases that have opened, include theft, fraud and corruption, and then there’s those of sabotage,” said Mametja.

According to Mametja, Tutuka has employees in acting capacity with full delegated authority to compensate for the gap left by the employees who have been suspended pending investigations.

He said whistleblowers are well protected.

“Our whistleblowing system is anonymous, nobody knows who blew the whistle, we just follow through with the investigation on the allegations.”

Mametja said the morale of Tutuka-workers is down because the power station is not performing as it should.

“However, management is doing their utmost to instil hope amongst the employees by working tirelessly to contribute the much-needed electricity to Eskom and the country.”

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