Two Eskom employees released on bail for fuel oil theft; more arrests to be made
Two Eskom employees at the Tutuka power station appeared in the Standerton magistrate’s court on Friday for the theft of about R100 million worth of fuel oil per month from the parastatal.
A supplier who is also a suspect in the case was arrested
on Friday.
‘’All three suspects were charged with fraud, theft and
corruption in a crime in which hundreds of millions of rands in goods and
services have been paid by Eskom when such have not been delivered or rendered
at the Power Station. The arrests followed months of internal investigative
work by Eskom, in cooperation with the law enforcement agencies in Mpumalanga,’’
said Eskom in a statement.
The suspects, Jessie Phindile Kubeka, who is 51%
shareholder in a supplier company; Eskom employees Sarah Nomsa Sibiya (Senior
Technician Operating) and Bhekizizwe Solomon Twala (Senior Storeperson), are
all facing the same charges. They were released on bail of R5 000 each.
The trial has been set to down for 21 February 2022.
It is anticipated that four other suspects involved in the
same scheme are expected to be arrested during the course of next week.
Further, warrants of arrest are being prepared concerning other suspects in the
fuel oil syndicate.
“Eskom, and Tutuka power station in particular, continues
to be the scene of the most despicable of crimes perpetrated by some of the
very people tasked with the stewardship of this public institution and by unscrupulous
suppliers,” said Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter. “Whilst these investigations take a
long time to come to fruition, the wins whereby arrests are made and criminals
are brought to answer for their unlawful conduct, goes a long way towards
making a positive contribution to the rebuilding of the organisation.”
While the management team and Board are currently seized
with the restoration of operations across Eskom, they have also been
dismantling well established crime syndicates that are profiting from the
problems that are costing the whole country dearly.
Done By: Mitchum George
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