Refilwe Motloung, a 36-year-old principal inspector at Eskom’s Tutuka power station in Standerton, Mpumalanga, is facing charges of copper theft after her arrest on Thursday. She appeared briefly in the Standerton Magistrate Court on Friday and will spend the weekend in custody.
According to Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Captain Dineo Sekgotodi, Motloung’s arrest was prompted by information from a delivery truck owner responsible for transporting copper cables from the Tutuka power station to the Kriel power station. The truck owner reported being redirected to a farm instead of making the delivery.
A team from the Hawks located Motloung, who was working the night shift, and proceeded to her residential address. During the arrest, investigators executed a search and discovered an Eskom control register along with a removal permit in her possession, which was seized. Additionally, an Opel Corsa vehicle used to escort the truck carrying the copper cables and a cell phone were also confiscated and taken to the Standerton police station for safekeeping.
Motloung has been formally charged with theft, and her case has been postponed to Thursday, October 10, 2024. Sekgotodi mentioned that this case may be connected to another involving two South Africans, Thabo Dlamini (30) and Dumisani Njinga (53), alongside two Mozambican nationals, Solomon Mlambo (24) and Silas Sithole (47), who were found in possession of stolen copper cables from Eskom. The men are set to appear in the Evander Magistrates Court on Monday, October 7, 2024.
