South Africa: Four Eskom Staff, Contractor Security Guard Arrested For Theft Of Heavy Fuel Oil At Camden Power Station

Four employees of Eskom, South Africa’s power utility company, and a contractor security guard have been arrested and charged for the theft of heavy fuel oil valued at R500 000(an equivalent of …. ) from the Camden Power Station.

The accused persons have been detained at the Ermelo Police Station under case number CAS 119/08/2024.

In a statement, Eskom said the initial arrests took place on Friday, 10th August 2024, at midnight, when two Eskom Weighbridge Operators were apprehended for their role in colluding to steal heavy fuel oil and defraud the company.

The company said further investigations on 16th August 2024, led to the arrest of two more Eskom employees, a Weighbridge Operator and a Control Room Operator as well as a contractor security guard.

All the accused persons have been remanded into police custody to reappear on 27th August 2024.

“Eskom is committed to safeguarding the security and integrity of its critical infrastructure.

“The ongoing collaboration between Eskom’s internal security investigations team and law enforcement agencies, coordinated by the National Energy Crisis Committee’s (NECOM) Safety and Security Priority Committee, is yielding positive results in our efforts to combat crime and corruption,” said Botse Sikhwitshi, Eskom’s Acting General Manager for Security.

“While the majority of our employees are hardworking and dedicated to enhancing Eskom’s performance, we are fully committed to eradicating corruption.

“The recent arrests are a positive step in our ongoing efforts to eliminate criminal activities within our organisation, reaffirming Eskom’s zero-tolerance approach to crime and corruption,” concluded Sikhwitshi.

Eskom urged the public to report any unlawful activities such as fraud, illegal electricity sales, theft of coal, fuel oil and crimes targeting critical infrastructure.

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com