South African state-owned power utility, Eskom, in a joint operation with the Public Order Police (POP) and the South African Police Service (SAPS), have recovered two stolen transformers which were illegally installed.
The parastatal reported in a statement that in separate incidents, two cases of tampering with essential infrastructure and theft of Eskom property have been opened against two males and an owner of a hardware store.
The two suspects were arrested for illegally reconnecting a supermarket in Naledi which was disconnected for non-payment by Eskom. The case was opened at the Naledi SAPS.
The hardware store owner is suspected to be involved in an illegal incident at an Eskom mini-substation in Orlando East. The mini-substation was found open and an unidentified breaker had been installed. The case against the owner of the hardware store was opened at the Orlando SAPS.
The court dates for both incidents are not yet known.
Eskom recently reported concerns about the increase in theft and vandalism of its electricity infrastructure in the Gauteng province, even during the lockdown period.
The power utility has warned that such acts lead to supply interruptions and have a significantly negative impact on its operations and efforts to provide the much-needed service to essential businesses and residents.
Eskom continues to intensify its efforts to contain the criminality associated with the theft and vandalism of its electricity infrastructure.
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