News24 reports that a major investigation has been underway for months to identify criminal syndicates operating at Eskom power stations in Mpumalanga.
The sweeping probe has so far seemingly unearthed evidence of political and police involvement in organised crime networks focused on extracting hundreds of millions of rands from Eskom each year. Eskom group chief executive André de Ruyter is the driving force behind the probe, which is being conducted under the utmost secrecy due to concerns over how well entrenched the networks within the power utility are. The networks operate in various procurement areas, including coal, scaffolding and the very lucrative market for power station spares. These are all essential for the day-to-day running and maintenance of the ailing Mpumalanga power stations. The De Ruyter investigation has been underway for months, working to identify the networks and their connections to Eskom staff. The investigation was started after it became clear that an estimated R1.3 billion in spares at Tutuka power station were missing, and evidence emerged that a syndicate was working to steal R100 million in fuel oil every month at the same power station. Eskom spends more than R100 billion a year procuring goods and services. In some cases, infrastructure at power stations was deliberately damaged to ensure the need for spares to be purchased – which would then be bought from companies linked to the criminal networks. In other cases, spares would be stolen to create a need for the parts to be replaced – and in extreme cases – the stolen parts would be sold back to Eskom. According to Eskom insiders, corruption plays out daily at various power stations across the country, but the involvement of Eskom staff at various levels has made it difficult to prevent.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kyle Cowan at News24 (subscriber access only)
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