A contractor working at Camden power station was arrested on Tuesday after he was linked to sabotage following an intensive investigation by Eskom.
The contractor is employed by a maintenance company at the power station and is said to have intentionally removed the bearing oil drain plug causing the oil burners to trip repeatedly.
In a statement on Wednesday, Eskom said the malicious act caused all the oil to drain out from the bearing thus preventing mills from operating optimally. Following the incident, a case of alleged sabotage was opened for investigation at the Ermelo police station in Mpumalanga.
The internal investigation led to the perpetrator being identified and questioned about the incident, where he confessed that the plug was intentionally removed to cause a trip. This, he alleged, was to ensure that his employer is awarded additional maintenance jobs.
Advocate Karen Pillay, general manager for security at Eskom, said it is disheartening to find that some of the power utility’s contractors are unscrupulous, have malicious intent, and are willing to plunge the country into further loadshedding at a time when the electricity grid is highly constrained.
“We have always suspected that some of our maintenance contractors and employees are behind these acts of sabotage,” said Pillay.
“We shall continuously work with law-enforcement agencies to bring these insiders to book and ensure that justice is meted out, but most importantly that those with similar tendencies across Eskom are arrested and removed from the organisation.”
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