Power utility Eskom has reported that on September 7, nine individuals were arrested at the Kusile power station for theft of coal and fraud. Among those arrested, eight were weighbridge operators employed by Eskom Rotek Industries, and the ninth was a coal truck driver.

The arrests came after a comprehensive investigation conducted by the South African Police Service, supported by an internal Eskom investigation and the Bidvest Protea Coin Investigation Team. The investigations were initiated following information received that coal haulers were bypassing the Kusile power station without unloading the ordered coal.

During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that the weighbridge operators were processing weighbridge transactions without the coal haulers entering the power station to deliver the coal. As a result, the Kusile power station was invoiced for coal that had been ordered but not actually received.

The arrested suspects are currently detained at the Phola police station, and Eskom anticipates that more arrests will follow as the investigations continue.

Eskom's acting General Manager for Security, Botse Sikhwitshi, stated, "The arrest of these unscrupulous individuals is a significant step in our fight against crime in Eskom and the country, and we shall continue in our pursuit to ensure that the perpetrators face the full might of the law."