A Free State farmer has been ordered by the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court to pay back the money to Eskom after the power utility was prejudiced of R1.9 million.
Jan Albert van der Merwe, 46, was convicted on charges of theft and 17 counts of contravention of the Criminal Matters Amendment Act of 18 of 2015; tampering with or damage to essential infrastructure.
The court ordered van der Merwe to make an immediate payment of R50,000, he was sentenced to five years imprisonment which is suspended for five years for theft.
The court further ordered van der Merwe to pay over R1.5 million to Eskom by Sunday, March 10.
The provincial spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as Hawks), Lieutenant Colonel Zweli Mohobeleli said van der Merwe committed the crimes between 2017 and 2019.
“The convicted electricity thief was found to have tempered with an electricity box on his farm between 2017 and 2019. This he did to evade or reduce his electricity bill. As a result of his actions, Eskom suffered a loss in the region of R1.9 million,” Mohobeleli said.
The acting head of the Hawks in the Free State, Brigadier Sophoe Hange has applauded the investigating team for a thorough and sterling job.
“Economic crimes have dire consequences for many innocent South Africans. Anyone found stealing electricity or assisting another to steal or damage essential infrastructure will be arrested," Brigadier Hange said.