Eskom employee nabbed for theft

An Eskom employee is facing charges of theft after he was caught allegedly stealing transformer oil and power safety solvent gel at the power utility’s Rosherville premises in Johannesburg.

According to Eskom, the man was stopped by security personnel while attempting to leave the premises.

“The employee was caught…with three full drums of transformer oil, an empty one, as well as six containers of 5 litre power safety solvent gel for which he had no full removal permit. The South African Police Service was called and the suspect was apprehended and taken into custody.

“The Eskom security personnel discovered the theft upon inspection of the removal permit as part of their access control while the employee was attempting to leave the premises with the alleged stolen property. It was discovered that the permit only authorised the removal of two full drums of the oil and two empty ones but it contained nothing about the gel,” the electricity provider said.

The man has since appeared in court and will also face internal disciplinary action.

The power utility recently stepped up security at its premises with added measures such as drone patrolling, stricter access control and using intelligent cameras to track movements.

Eskom Gauteng’s Safety, Health, Environment, Risk, and Quality manager Kith Maitisa said the power provider is committed to fight acts of criminality both internally and externally.

“We are disappointed that one of our own is implicated in the alleged theft. Eskom remains committed to resource optimisation where we ensure that all material is channelled to its intended use. We will continue to heighten efforts to curb material loss and any criminal acts by anyone, including our employees,” he said.

He urged the community to report any electricity related criminal activities to police.

“We continue to 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 112 722,” he said.