A total of R48 million has been spent on Eskom’s security at the various power stations across the country.

Eskom’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Jan Oberholzer, says that this price is expected to increase. He was speaking as the power utility has been battling with vandalism and theft of key infrastructure at its power plants, which in turn has knock-on effects on its energy production.

Oberholzer says that they’ve appointed several security companies, with 450 boots on the ground.

“Since the start of April 2021, the dedicated focus was specifically on the fuel usage at the Tutuka Power Plant. And it saw the utility saving an average of R100 million per month,” says Oberholzer. 

He says that the security measures also include infrared drones and cameras.