This was revealed in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) by Deputy Police Minister, Cassel Charlie Mathale, and the police’s Maropeng Mamothethi.

Mamothethi is the component head for firearms liquor and second hand goods.

"We continuously monitor the implementation of the task teams. There is money ring-fenced for the purpose and we are making progress," said Mamothethi.

"As time goes on in the next financial year, we are intending to convert the task team into a permanent unit so that it can be a permanent structure."

Embattled power utility Eskom has been one of entities that has been hardest hit by economic sabotage in the past few months. 

The act of crime has compelled Eskom to implement some of the worst stages of load shedding in 2022.

Mathale told MPs that sabotage has resulted in the government establishing multi-disciplinary units to deal with the scourge.

"Therefore in response to the direct assault of our critical infrastructure, the government has established specialised mutli-disciplinary units to address economic sabotage and other related crimes such as the extortion at construction sites and the vandalism of infrastructure including the economic infrastructure task teams known as EITTs.

"We are also dealing with a critical infrastructure crime that relates to the pipeline fuel theft that is also a problem for us. The extortion and the construction sites, that is also the responsibility of this task team."

The task teams were first established in May. 

Since then, they have been established in 18 high crime districts across the country, with Gauteng home to a total of five districts. 

Jacaranda FM