- Electricity syndicate released on bail
- Syndicate captured last month in collaboration with the South African police
- Syndicate specialised in large scale prepaid energy theft
The Fochville Magistrate’s Court has granted bail of up to R100,000 to members of the South African prepaid energy theft syndicate nabbed last month. The suspects were released after fulfilling the bail conditions.
Following a collaborative sting operation between the Free State Hawks, Eskom investigators, Tactical Response Team, Public Order Policing, and the Local Criminal Record Centre captured the suspects at various locations in Gauteng. Cellphones, laptops, sim cards, R714 800 in cash, seven luxury vehicles, electricity pre-paid vouchers and transaction records were seized during the arrest.
Eskom Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Andre de Ruyter, speaking shortly after the arrests of the suspects, stated that ”This will help restore confidence in Eskom as we continue to fight the scourge of crime that plagues the institution and the country. This is economic sabotage of the highest degree, and the perpetrators of such crimes must be brought to book and dealt with to the full might of the law. We shall pursue the investigations together with the Hawks to ensure that the entire operations of the syndicate are disrupted”.