Eskom fails to hit thieves

Johannesburg - Eskom failed to prosecute a single person successfully for electricity theft in 2009.

Mpho Makwana, Eskom's acting CEO and chairperson, says there is a shortcoming in South Africa's current legislation with regard to electricity theft.

The loophole makes it impossible to find people guilty of such piracy. Kannan Lakmeeharan, MD for system planning and management at Eskom, says current legislation provides only for finding people guilty of vandalism to infrastructure or cable theft. Even then they receive, at most, a fine and a couple of weeks in prison before returning to the street.

The law needs to be changed so that electricity thieves can be charged and found guilty, he argues.

During its hearing in Polokwane on Tuesday the National Energy Regulator (Nersa) questioned Eskom about electricity theft.

The regulator is holding public hearings on the power utility's application to raise electricity prices by 35% a year over the next three years.

Trade federation Cosatu, meanwhile, wants to have the amount of free electricity being supplied to poor consumers increased from 50 kilowatt hours (kWh to to 200kWh a month.

Cosatu's provincial secretary in Mpumalanga, Fidel Mlombo, says 200kWh could begin to improve the living standards of society's poorest, while 50kWh can at most allow a couple of globes to burn. But with 200kWh people could also use a small television set and a little fridge.

Nersa asked Mlombo where be expected the money for the additional free electricity was to come from.

Mlombo replied that it could come from the place that was paying for the 50kWh. This money is supplied by National Treasury and amounts to more than R1bn a year.

Nersa's hearings will continue in the Kimberley City Hall on Wednesday.

- Fin24.com