Contractor nailed for sabotage at Eskom – and he confessed why he did it

Power utility Eskom has arrested a maintenance worker for sabotaging one of its units at the Camden power station.
The group said that the perpetrator is employed by a maintenance company working at the station and intentionally removed the bearing oil drain plug from the bearing, causing the oil burners to trip repeatedly.
“This malicious act caused all the oil to drain out from the bearing, thus damaging the bearing, which, in turn, prevented the mills from operating optimally. Camden unit 4 subsequently tripped after losing the mills,” Eskom said.
The incident occurred on 10 November, and a case of sabotage has been opened for investigation by the South African Police Service, it said.
Eskom said that internal investigations led to the culprit being identified and questioned about the incident.
Evidence was obtained, and the perpetrator confessed, saying he intentionally removed the plug to cause the trip to ensure that his employer would be awarded additional maintenance and repair jobs at the station.
“It is disheartening to find that some of our contractors are unscrupulous, have malicious intent and are willing to plunge the country into further load shedding at a time when the electricity grid is highly constrained,” Eskom said.
“We have always suspected that some of our maintenance contractors and employees are behind these acts of sabotage. We shall continuously work with the law enforcement agencies to bring these insiders to book and ensure justice is meted out.”
The arrest follows two other arrests this past week where contractor truck drivers were apprehended in possession of stolen coal.
Presenting to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) in October, Eskom highlighted its plight against high-level crime at its power stations, detailing the operations of coal thieves, copper cable thieves and incidents of sabotage within the company.
Eskom has roped in the help of the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) to investigate several high-profile incidents and ongoing issues with employees over the last few years.
The SIU said identified collusion among transporters to mix poor-quality coal from certain mines with good-quality coal from others. This ensures that contractually required quantities are delivered to the power stations.
“Due to the fact that coal quality is often not tested once the coal is delivered to the power station, it is not possible to identify the source of the sub-standard coal,” it said.
The Hawks, meanwhile, is investigating several alleged crimes, including the theft of coal, the theft of diesel, the theft of cables, bomb threats, fraud and corruption, sabotage and various others.
One case highlighted by the Hawks involved diesel worth R200,000 stolen from Kriel Power Stations, where transporters colluded with Eskom weighbridge clerks to steal the fuel.
The receiving officer let the transporter drive out after weighing the diesel load, and the fuel was put in a different truck at a farm down the road. The transporter then drove back to the power station, weighing an empty load – in and out masses were registered, and the receiving officer acknowledged receipt of the diesel, but it was never delivered.
“Eskom will then pay the diesel bill of the fuel it has never received,” the Hawks said. “The driver, after selling the diesel, will be paid either cash or electronically.”
South Africa is currently experiencing the worst year of load shedding on record, exacerbated by continued breakdowns and hampered maintenance.
Read: Coal thieves nabbed as fight against high-level crime at Eskom continues