Spokesperson, Christopher Singo, says their arrests originate from an investigation which ensued in May 2020 in Bloemfontein, probing the illicit sale of electricity by illegal vendors who had illegal electricity vending machines. He says the suspects are responsible for a large-scale pre-paid electricity fraud and theft. 

Singo confirms the eight suspects are in addition to the six that were arrested a week ago.

"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, closely networked, and 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," said Singo.  

He highlights that the illegal sale of prepaid electricity results in multi-million rand losses to Eskom, adding to its financial woes.

OFM News