They got to steal the food of an old man‚ but the community made sure their crime career was short-lived.

Two men pretending to be Eskom employees‚ Jonas Tshabalala (44) and Samuel Tsotetsi (39)‚ appeared before the Balfour Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday‚ after they were busted for targeting an elderly man at his home.

Police said: “The duo allegedly impersonated Eskom employees and went into a house of a 77-year-old elderly man at Siyathemba in Balfour claiming to check electricity meter boxes. They checked the meter box and told the elderly man that he fiddled with it. They then demanded a sum of R500‚ however he told them that he had none. They threatened to remove the meter box if they did not receive the cash they wanted.”

“The elderly man went to his neighbours to seek assistance and they accompanied him back to his house. When they arrived at the house‚ they discovered that the duo had helped themselves with groceries and a cellphone before fleeing the scene.

“The suspects were later spotted by community members.” The police were called and the villains were arrested.

Tshabalala and Tsotetsi were remanded in custody until 30 March 2017‚ pending further investigation.

Mpumalanga police commissioner‚ Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma‚ applauded the Balfour community members for handing the suspects to the police without taking the law into their own hands. He also cautioned the community to be attentive and not to fall victim to scams such as this.