98 arrests since January — deputy minister on police progress at Eskom

MPs have been told about police steps to address crime at Eskom, which former CEO André de Ruyter claims cripples the utility.

Deputy police minister Cassel Mathale said in his police budget speech in the National Assembly on Tuesday that 461 Eskom case dockets were opened relating to illegal and unregulated coal and fuel yards in partnership with the departments of fisheries, forestry and the environment and mineral resources and energy.

De Ruyter claims in his book Truth to Power that high-quality coal meant for delivery to Eskom power stations is diverted for criminal purposes and replaced with low quality coal or rocks. Fuel has also been stolen.

Mathale said the police organised crime unit and the Hawks had jointly reported 120 dockets were registered which had resulted in 98 arrests from January this year to date.

Mathale did not say what progress had been made in investigating the cases and how many had resulted in prosecutions.

According to De Ruyter, some members of the police and some magistrates in Mpumalanga, where several Eskom power stations are sited, appeared to be working in cahoots with crime syndicates looting billions at Eskom. This, he claimed, contributed to the high stages of load-shedding afflicting the country. De Ruyter alleged some Eskom employees are collaborating in the crimes.

Mathale said that “pursuant to cabinet intervention and having realised the extent to which crime and inadequate security contributed to Eskom challenges”, government had implemented the establishment of a police-led priority committee for energy security and a 24-hour mission area joint operational centre at Eskom’s head office at Megawatt Park, as well as planned operations and executed actions.

“These planned operations and executed actions are focused on combating crime incidents at Eskom sites and other associated electrical infrastructure in an attempt to secure the power grid.”

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