Hawks nab 10 suspects for illicit electricity sale

Ten suspects, aged 34–54 were arrested for selling illegal prepaid electricity on Saturday, 21 August 2021 in Bethlehem and Senekal.

Their arrests occurred during the second phase of a project-driven investigation by the Free State Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team in alliance with Eskom Investigators. 

The investigation began in May 2020 in Bloemfontein. It was looking into the illegal sale of electricity by vendors with illegal electricity vending machines. 

According to Hawks Spokesperson’s Captain Christopher Singo, these business partners reportedly operate in groups nationally.

“They generate income of approximately R150 000 to R250 000 per day from illegal sales of electricity. They are highly organized, well-equipped and closely networked,” said Singo.

“They are also difficult to track because their machines do not transact on a network, or at a single place, but are constantly wandering,” he adds.

The illegal practice of selling prepaid electricity results in multi-million rand losses to Eskom per annum. This loss of revenue contributes significantly to the electricity misery of the country.

During the arrests, several cell phones, electricity prepaid vouchers and book keeping records of customers were seized for further investigation. 

The provincial head of the Hawks, Major General Kubrandran Moodley, congratulated the team of investigators for continuing to crack down on the sale of illegal prepaid electricity.

All the suspects are expected to appear before the Fochville Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 23 August 2021.