Guards arrested over EL power station diesel theft
Two guards employed by a security company contracted by Eskom to protect the Port Rex Power Station in East London were arrested on Monday for allegedly stealing 5,863 litres of diesel.
The guards were arrested while on duty at the power station. The stolen diesel is valued at R145,930.
Through internal investigations it was established that the arrested contract security guards allegedly permitted a vehicle to collect the stolen diesel from the site during night shifts. They were allegedly paid in return.
The internal investigations, supported by the Bidvest Protea Coin investigation team and the police, culminated in the arrests of the two security guards a few days after Eskom laid a criminal complaint.
The two suspects are scheduled to appear in the East London magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
“It is appalling that the individuals entrusted with the responsibilities of safeguarding our infrastructure [allegedly] resort to such acts of malfeasance,” the general manager for security at Eskom, advocate Karen Pillay, said.
“These arrests are another significant step in our fight against crime in Eskom, and we shall continue in our pursuit to ensure that the perpetrators face the full might of the law.”
Investigations were continuing to identify other suspects, and the outcome would determine further actions to be taken against the contracted security company.
“In our efforts to clean out the organisation, we shall ensure that guarding companies contracted to Eskom toe the line in screening their personnel and delivering services of a high standard.
“The persistent and excellent work by the Eskom security team, Bidvest Protea Coin investigation team, and the SA Police Service, who are all working tirelessly to identify and disrupt the criminal networks, are an indication of our commitment to deal with criminality in Eskom,” Pillay said.
Eskom urges the public to report information regarding the theft of coal, fuel oil and diesel to the Eskom Crime Line: 0800-11-27 22.