Eskom nails coal driver and supervisor for coal swapping-why now???

[Nat Quinn]

Eskom has announced that a coal truck driver and their supervisor have been arrested for coal theft at the Matla power station.

The arrests were made on Monday, 28 November 2022, after the driver was found in possession of sub-grade coal destined for the power station.

It is alleged that the coal swapping occurred at a known coal yard in Mpumalanga, where Bidvest Protea Coin investigators contracted by Eskom detected the truck.

The driver admitted to offloading Eskom’s coal at the Rondebult coal yard and alleged that he had done so as instructed by his supervisor.

The driver and supervisor are employed by Ukusebenza Transport, and Eskom has opened a criminal case against them with the South African Police Service. The truck was also impounded.

Eskom said the suspects will remain in custody until 13 December, when their bail application will be heard.

This is the second case of illegal coal swapping in the space of a week where Eskom publicly announced that they caught the perpetrators.

On Wednesday, 23 November, Eskom announced that a truck driver was arrested for a similar offence at the Camden power station.

Eskom is cracking down on theft and collusion at its power stations, with five arrests being made in just over two weeks.

“Yet again, these arrests are a significant step in rooting out criminals in Eskom. It also confirms the extent of criminality and prevalence of organised crimes affecting the organisation,” Eskom general manager for security Karen Pillay said.

“Eskom has discovered through investigations that the control processes are deliberately bypassed by the criminal employees of the mines, transporters and Eskom alike. We shall pursue these unscrupulous individuals relentlessly and ensure that justice is served.”

 

Eskom nails coal driver and supervisor for coal swapping (mybroadband.co.za)

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