ESKOM: SINCE SANDF DEPLOYMENT, 48 PEOPLE ARRESTED FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES

It said that despite the defence force not having any powers to arrest these suspects, there had been significant progress in reducing crime as the utility was not as vulnerable anymore.

A general view of the Grootvlei power station, a coal-fired power plant operated by Eskom located in Grootvlei on 18 December 2022. Picture: GUILLEM SARTORIO/AFP

Gloria Motsoere | 21 February 2023 06:15

JOHANNESBURG - Eskom said that since the members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) were deployed to its power stations, 48 people had been arrested for various criminal activities.

Soldiers were sent to various power stations in December, to reduce theft and sabotage at the utility.

The ailing power utility said that it had identified Mpumalanga as a hotspot for coal theft.

It said that despite the defence force not having any powers to arrest these suspects, there had been significant progress in reducing crime as the utility was not as vulnerable anymore.

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said that they needed to get to the root of these theft syndicates.

"However, we still need to get to the higher echelons of these syndicates and this is where we anticipate that some of the intelligence we are sharing with the SSA as well as with Crime Intelligence that this will start to bear fruit."