The Mthatha Specialised Commercial Crime Court has sentenced John Tazvivinga to five years for tampering with Eskom infrastructure.
According to Eskom, the conviction stems from an incident, which occurred between 2015 and 2016, where Tazvivinga falsely represented himself as an Eskom contractor to Marhambeni residents in Mthatha, Eastern Cape.
“Under this pretence, he was hired by residents to connect electricity, for which he received R120 000.
“Tazvivinga unlawfully and intentionally tampered with essential infrastructure by illegally connecting electricity without authorisation from Eskom between 20 January 2016 and 15 April 2016,” an Eskom statement read.
The power utility said it suffered financial prejudice amounting to R231 000 as a result.
On Wednesday, the court found Tazvivinga guilty of contravening Section 3(1) of the Criminal Matters Amendment Act 18 of 2015.
Tazvivinga, who is a former consultant at Inkitha Royal Empire Construction, was sentenced to five years in prison, with the sentence wholly suspended for five years, provided he did not commit a similar offence during the suspension.
The company was ordered to pay a R10 000 fine.
Eskom’s Acting General Manager for Security, Botse Sikhwitshi, said the organisation strongly condemns and will not tolerate any impersonation of its business and staff by anyone.
“We are thankful to the internal security investigations and the Specialised Commercial Crime Investigation teams for their collaborative efforts over the years.
“While the sentence may not be as severe as Eskom had hoped, it serves as a reminder to potential criminals contemplating tampering with critical infrastructure and stealing electricity, contravening Section 3(1) of the Criminal Matters Amendment Act 18 of 2015, which could lead to a maximum prison term of 30 years,” said Sikhwitshi.
Sikhwitshi said the conviction contributes to the gradual improvement of convictions, which have doubled in the financial year 2023/24 compared to the financial year 2022/23, increasing from 11 to 22 recorded convictions.
Eskom encourages members of the public to report unlawful activities, including illegal electricity sales and connections, fraud, and theft of coal, fuel oil, diesel, and copper cables.
Reports can be made anonymously through the Eskom Crime Line at 0800 11 27 22 or via WhatsApp at 081 333 3323. – SAnews.gov.za
