A suspected coal thief has been arrested at Eskom’s Arnot Power Station in Mpumalanga. The man was apprehended on Saturday after a thorough investigation by Eskom’s security team. The incident highlights the ongoing challenges faced by the power utility in securing its resources.
The security team initially observed a truck loaded with coal destined for an Eskom power station entering a coal yard in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.
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After about an hour, the truck departed the coal yard and was followed en route to Arnot Power Station. Upon arrival, the truck queued to offload coal.
Upon inspection, the team discovered that the coal was of poor quality, containing stones, which confirmed suspicions of coal swapping. The driver confessed to selling the originally loaded coal for R6,000. He was immediately arrested by the Hawks, who are conducting further investigations.
Botse Sikhwitshi, Eskom’s acting general manager for security, applauded the arrest, stating that tangible evidence would ensure successful prosecution. He emphasized that the delivery of poor-quality coal leads to unit breakdowns and cannot be tolerated.
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Eskom aims for the harshest possible sentence for the perpetrator to deter similar future offences. The power utility continues to collaborate with law enforcement agencies to shut down illegal coal yards.
In other news, Eskom’s load shedding suspension has lasted around 74 days, the longest break since mid-2021. The improvement is attributed to the generation operational recovery plan, which includes increased planned maintenance during the summer months of 2023/24.
