Eskom workers and contractor arrested for stealing fuel oil from Camden Power Station

Four Eskom employees and a contracted security guard have been arrested for stealing heavy fuel oil valued at R500 000.

The staffers stole the commodity from the Camden Power Station this week.

Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said the accused have been charged and are detained at Ermelo Police Station.

Arrests and roles in the collusion

“The initial arrests took place on Friday, 10 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.

“Following further investigations on 16 August 2024, authorities arrested two more Eskom employees, a weighbridge operator and a control room Operator as well as a contractor security guard. All the accused remain in custody as the case has been remanded to 27 August 2024 following an initial remand to 20 August 2024 for a formal bail application,” Mokwena said.

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Mokwena said the investigation began during a routine quality inspection of coal deliveries at Camden Power Station, conducted by Eskom’s Security Investigation team.

“A suspicious truck attempting to leave the station was intercepted, and the driver was asked to park on the side of the road. Upon presenting a weighbridge slip, the driver claimed that 30 610 kilograms of heavy fuel oil had been offloaded at Camden Power Station.

“However, a subsequent inspection revealed that the truck was still fully loaded with the fuel oil. The driver fled the scene, triggering further investigations that led to the arrests,” Mokwena said.

Safeguarding infrastructure

Eskom’s acting general manager for security, Botse Sikhwitshi said the utility 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.”

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

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