JOHANNESBURG: Ten more people, believed to be part of a syndicate behind the nationwide illegal sale of prepaid electricity, have been arrested in the Free State.
The suspects, aged between 34 and 54, were arrested in Bethlehem and Senekal, Free State, on Saturday.
Spokesperson for the Free State Hawks Captain Christopher Singo said the arrests were effected during the second phase of the project-driven investigation carried out by the Hawks and Eskom Investigators.
The first group of people were arrested in June. The seven have been released on bail.
Singo said investigations began in Bloemfontein in May last year.
He said the investigations were focused on the illicit sale of electricity facilitated by illegal vendors who had possession illegal electricity vending machines.
“The syndicates reportedly operate in groups nationally, and generate income of approximately R150 000 to R250 000 per day from illicit sales of electricity. They are highly organised, well-equipped and closely networked. They are difficult to track due to the fact that these machines do not transact on a network or at a single place, but are constantly roving. The suspects were allegedly responsible for selling illegal electricity to prepaid customers.”
Singo said the practice of selling prepaid electricity illegally resulted in multimillion rand losses to Eskom each year. This loss of revenue and the increase in non-technical losses contributes significantly to the electricity woes of the country.
“These arrests come at a time when the country has been plunged into load shedding due to the bleak power situation. Several cellphones, electricity prepaid vouchers and bookkeeping records of customers were seized for further investigation.
The provincial head of the Hawks, Major General Kubrandran Moodley, commended the team of the investigators for continuing to crack down on the illegal sale of preprepaid electricity.
All the suspects are expected to appear in the Fochville Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
IOL