Coal thieves nabbed as fight against high-level crime at Eskom continues

Two truck drivers contracted to Eskom were arrested at Kendal Power Station on Wednesday night (9 November) after they were found in possession of stolen coal.

The trucks belonging to an ash transporting company contracted to Eskom were exiting the power station coal gate when they were stopped by security personnel conducting vehicle inspections.

Both truck drivers resisted the searches and maintained that the trucks were empty; however, the security team insisted on the search, and the stolen coal was found in the trailers.

“Coal theft is a highly organised criminal activity, and syndicates involved are being enriched through the proceeds derived from the trade in stolen coal. Eskom continues to lose billions of rands due to the misappropriation of coal and similar commodities, which directly affects production,” said Eskom’s general manager for security Karen Pillay.

She added that several illicit coal stockyards and dump sites in the province are recipients of the stolen coal.

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said in October that the power utility had called for the help of the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) to investigate employees doing business with the group and acts of sabotage that have led to breakdowns and load shedding – including coal theft.

The SIU found that collusion among transporters to mix poor-quality coal from certain mines with good-quality coal from others was a notable modus operandi for coal thieves, as this ensures that contractually required quantities are delivered to the power stations.

De Ruyter said that the current system has a certified stockpile of coal tested at the mines, which is loaded into trucks, covered with a seal, and the vehicle itself is fitted with a tracking device.

However, he said the group has discovered that there is significant tampering with the seals and jamming devices used to block the tracking signal.

“The coal trucks are then taken while they are ‘off the radar’ to sites where the good quality coal is swapped out for discard coal – instead of 18 kilojoules per kilogram, it’s seven or eight – and this has a very negative impact on our mills, our boiler tubes. The knock-on effects are significant,” he said.

The drivers involved in this latest theft attempt were arrested, and a criminal case of theft of coal was registered with the Ogies South African Police Service. Pillay said that Eskom would ensure that the perpetrators face the full might of the law.

Read: All eyes on Ramaphosa’s high-stakes billion-dollar Eskom plan