Eskom: Police confirms De Ruyter meeting, says ‘no specifics given’
The chairperson of the police’s energy safety, and security priority committee Lieutenant General Peter Jacobs on Tuesday confirmed that two meetings with the South African Police Service top brass did take place, as reported by former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter.
However, Jacobs said no specific information relating to crimes at Eskom was conveyed.
Jacobs is presenting the police’s interventions in relation to damning allegations of rampant crime at the national power utility, that were made by the former Eskom chief executive officer.
The Hawks, police, and Special Investigative Unit have been summoned to appear before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts following De Ruyter’s appearance last month.
Jacobs told members of the committee the two meetings took place between June and July last year at Megawatt Park and at the Tshwane Academy.
He says t the only specific case raised was related to another former CEO Matshela Koko.
“No specific information containing elements of a crime was conveyed. Reference was made to criminal activity in general and matters related to Eskom were always generic and more strategic in content.
“The only case raised by Mr De Ruyter, with the commissioner, was outside the meeting and related to Mr Koko.”
Koko and seven others have appeared in court over charges related to a multi-billion-rand contract awarded to a Swiss engineering company in 2015.
READ: Court grants bail to Koko, co-accused in Kusile corruption case
At the same time, Jacobs told MPs that they had seen progress since interventions at Eskom were instituted.
“Success since the inception of the May Joc at Megawatt Park; 210 direct arrests, the total value of items seized is over R26 million and these include Eskom’s aluminium cable, copper cable, batteries, transformers, and coal trucks.”
Twenty economic infrastructure task teams have been set up to combat economic crimes related to Eskom’s infrastructure.
Second-hand dealers have also come under the spotlight resulting in the closure of 118 unregistered dealers, 96 cases have been opened and over 350 people have been arrested.
There are nearly 30 000 registered dealers in the country.
According to Jacobs, 1660 Eskom-related cases have been reported from 1 April 2022 to 30 April 2023, while 143 are still under investigation.
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