Eskom cracks whip as staff plunder infrastructure

Eskom says the growing number of its employees involved in theft and criminal activities is of major concern.

“The growing number of Eskom employees who are involved in criminal activities is a major concern to us,” said Motlhabane Ramashi, senior manager for maintenance and operations in Gauteng.

“Since the beginning of the year to date, we have recorded seven employees who were arrested for their alleged involvement in the theft and misuse of Eskom infrastructure.

“We are however pleased that our efforts to curb and root out wrongdoing [seeking] to undermine our efforts to deliver services and be efficient in our operations, are bearing fruit,” said Ramashi.

His comments came shortly after another employee and a former member of staff were arrested after being caught red-handed tampering with Eskom equipment in Orlando, Soweto, on Thursday.

“[They were] illegally installing a breaker in a mini-substation without the necessary authorisation . ... The two suspects were arrested by the SAPS after being caught in action by the Eskom security as part of our sting operation to root out unethical behaviour and irregular conduct in our operations,” said Ramashi.

Besides facing charges in court, the employee will have to attend a disciplinary hearing.

Eskom called on the public to report not only community members abusing infrastructure but also Eskom staff.

“We urge all those who may be aware of any form of criminal acts by Eskom employees or anyone else, to anonymously alert us by calling the Eskom Crime Line on 0800 11 27 to ensure we provide continuous electricity supply during this lockdown period,” Ramashi said.