Matla Power News Today

South Africa: Eskom supervisor, tanker driver arrested

Eskom Senior Shift Supervisor from the Matla Power Station and a heavy fuel oil

Two people appeared in the Kriel Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga on Thursday on charges of theft and fraud.

Eskom said Stage 6 load shedding would be in place continuously from 16:00 on Wednesday until further notice.

Videos of thick smoke emanating from the Matla power station have flooded social media sparking fear of a further strain on the grid.

The replacement of quality coal with discarded coal has a serious negative impact on the plants and performance at power stations.

‘Load shedding is being implemented due to a high number of breakdowns and the requirement to preserve the remaining emergency generation…’ said Eskom.

The truck driver off-loaded the ‘good-quality’ coal at an illegal coal yard in Mpumalanga and said he was acting on his supervisor’s instructions.

An investigation team continues to unearth incidents of theft at various power stations in Mpumalanga.

Eskom says a fire broke out on Monday morning at its notoriously problematic Duvha Power Station. No injuries were reported.