The utility announced that it will be implementing stage 3 load shedding from this afternoon onwards following further improvements at its power stations.
In response to City Press Sunday’s report regarding a high-ranking official being behind several incidents of sabotage at power stations, struggling power utility Eskom has affirmed its commitment to combatting fraud and corruption within the organisation.
The report alleged that the police were preparing to apprehend a senior executive at Eskom, accusing the individual of being involved in sabotage activities targeting power stations to deliberately cause breakdowns.
According to the report, law enforcement agencies are actively searching for an Eskom executive possessing high-level security clearance, who is suspected of orchestrating intentional disruptions at specific power stations, resulting in widespread blackouts across the nation.
Allegedly, the executive recruited engineers to assist in carrying out these acts of sabotage while personally profiting from the ensuing crises. Discussions among government ministers in the security cluster have been under way to address the serious allegations against the executive.
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Eskom serious about corruption
In response, Eskom issued a statement expressing its seriousness in addressing the sabotage allegations and its commitment to allowing the legal process to unfold.
The power utility emphasised its determination to root out fraud, corruption and sabotage within its ranks, pledging full cooperation with law enforcement authorities to effectively respond to any criminal activities related to Eskom’s operations.
Regarding the City Press report, Eskom stated that it had not been approached by the publication for comment on executives allegedly implicated in sabotage incidents.
However, the utility acknowledged being contacted by City Press regarding allegations pertaining to the awarding of a security contract, an executive’s involvement with a fuel supplier and a statement made by the minister of police during a hearing at the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa).
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Sunday’s report states that Eskom’s spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, denied knowledge of any wrongdoing committed by the implicated executive.
Mokwena said that the executive in question was not currently considered a person of interest to Eskom and highlighted that they had undergone security vetting by the State Security Agency and received top-secret security clearance.
Eskom accused the report of using its response from May 20 2023 as a comment on the alleged sabotage without seeking additional input from the utility. The utility said it was willing to address any enquiries related to the serious allegations raised.
Lower stages of load shedding
The utility announced that it would be implementing Stage 3 load shedding from this afternoon onwards following further improvements at its power stations.
Load shedding will continue until midnight, followed by a complete suspension until 4pm the next day, with this cycle set to repeat until further notice.
The utility said improvements saw the return of generating units at Kriel and Majuba power stations, but breakdowns led to the outage of units at Duvha, Hendrina, Kendal, Lethabo and Matla power stations.
The delays in restoring units at Arnot, Camden and Hendrina power stations are contributing to the current capacity constraints.