Staff Reporter
A Free State farmer has escaped jail after he pleaded guilty to depriving national power utility Eskom of over R700 000 due to illegal connections at his farm in Petrusburg.
Willem Christiaan Venter pleaded guilty to four counts of making illegal connections and was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment suspended for five years.
The Bloemfontein Regional Court found Venter guilty on four counts of malicious damage to property under the Criminal Amendments Act of Essential Infrastructure.
The court also held him responsible for damage to electrical equipment valued at R770 143.67 excluding value added tax.
An audit by Eskom and an investigation by the Hawks found that Venter tampered with the Eskom electricity meter on his farm over a three-year period from 2016 to 2019.
In total, electricity usage to the value of R770 143.67 was not registered by the meter.
Eskom senior manager for customer service in the Free State Bibi Bedir welcomed the ruling and warned that power theft is a serious crime.
“We welcome the judgment and hope that it acts as a stern warning to others who choose to tamper with their electrical installations,” Bedir said in a statement.
“Electricity theft does not pay. Eskom and law-enforcement agencies continue to work together to ensure that justice prevails.”
