Former Eskom employee, Eskom fraud, electricity billing fraud, Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Hawks, Liesel Maria Wolamarans, court appearance, released on bail

Wolmarans was released on R2 000 bail following her court appearance. Photo: Stock Image / Pixabay

Ex-Eskom employee arrested for electricity billing fraud of R11m

Liesel Maria Wolmarans, a former Eskom employee, was arrested for electricity billing fraud to the tune of R11 million.

Former Eskom employee, Eskom fraud, electricity billing fraud, Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Hawks, Liesel Maria Wolamarans, court appearance, released on bail

Wolmarans was released on R2 000 bail following her court appearance. Photo: Stock Image / Pixabay

A 44-year-old ex-Eskom employee has been arrested for electricity billing fraud amounting to a massive R11 million.

Who is Liesel Maria Wolmarans?

Liesel Maria Wolmarans was a senior billing clerk at embattled power utility Eskom between March 2011 and May 2021. The spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) Captain Yolisa Mgolodela said that Wolmarans was responsible for processing electricity meter readings on the billing system.

Wolmarans received the readings electronically from route contractors who captured them at customer sites on hand-held devices. She then had to bill customers for their electricity usage based on the meter readings.

Why was the ex-Eskom employee arrested?

“Wolmarans was however alleged to have made a misrepresentation to Eskom in that she unlawfully and intentionally processed false readings on the billing system for which the customers were billed for lower electricity usage. 

“The matter was reported to the Hawks for probing hence the arrest of Wolmarans on July 29. The investigations revealed that Wolmarans prejudiced Eskom cash to the value of more than R11m,”

said Captain Mgolodela. 

She appeared in court and was released on R2k bail

Wolmarans appeared before the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Friday, 29 July. This followed her arrest by the Hawks’ serious commercial crime investigation team. The former Eskom employee was released on bail of R2 000 while her case was remanded to 30 August, reports TimesLIVE.

20 years in the slammer for ex-Eskom employee and pal who stole R35m

In related news, it was previously reported that the Palm Ridge Commercial Crimes Court has sentenced an ex-employee of Eskom and a service provider to 20 years behind bars. The former financial controller for the power utility Mosai Barnard Moraka and Eskom service provider Victor Vilosi Tshabalala were recently convicted.

The duo were convicted on 53 counts of theft and fraud that cost Eskom a massive R35 million. Moraka and Tshabalala were ordered to forfeit their respective properties to the state. Their properties were, in November last year, placed under a preservation order.

The estates will be sold and the money made will be given to the power utility. Eskom’s Chief Executive  André de Ruyter welcomed the sentencing. He shared that it was a milestone in Eskom’s efforts to get rid of corruption. Read the full story here.