Latest news with #MondeBala
News24
15-07-2025
- Business
- News24
Eskom appoints interim CEO of National Transmission Company
Eskom has moved its head of distribution to lead the National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA) on an interim basis, it said on Tuesday. Monde Bala, currently group executive: Eskom Distribution, will act as chief executive officer of the NTCSA from 1 August. Bala succeeds Segomoco Scheppers, who was seconded to head up the NTCSA business in 2024 and will now return to Eskom. Agnes Mlambo will step into Bala's shoes and become acting group executive: Distribution, the power utility said. Mlambo has 17 years of experience at Eskom, has an MBA and is a qualified management accountant. She joined Eskom in 2008. 'Mlambo's appointment with her many years of experience in Eskom will significantly benefit the distribution business,' said Dan Marokane, Eskom's group chief executive. The search for a permanent candidate to fill the role of NTCSA chief executive is under way, Eskom said in May. Scheppers was shortlisted for the permanent role, but according to Eskom, the NTCSA board has not yet finalised its decision and an announcement will be made in due course. 'We owe Segomoco a huge debt of thanks for the skills he brought to bear to take the transmission business to a point of separation and creating the NTCSA as a wholly owned subsidiary of Eskom Holdings. The NTCSA serves as an important catalyst in the country's evolving energy supply industry and ending the vertical integration business model for the benefit of consumers,' Priscillah Mabelane, NTCSA board chair, said at the time.
IOL News
04-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Eskom cracks down on fraudulent electricity tokens with new security upgrades
Eskom intensifies efforts to secure its prepaid electricity token system following the OVS breach, aiming to restore public trust and strengthen operational resilience. Image: Timothy Barnard /Independent Newspapers Eskom has announced decisive new actions to protect its customers following a major breach of its Online Vending System (OVS), which was exploited to generate and distribute fraudulent prepaid electricity tokens. The breach, revealed in Eskom's full-year 2024 financial results released in December, exposed critical weaknesses in both the physical and cybersecurity layers of the utility's infrastructure. The fraudulent activity, which threatened to undermine public trust in Eskom's prepaid electricity system, prompted an immediate and robust response from the state-owned utility. 'We uncovered weaknesses in physical and cybersecurity components on our OVS system,' said Monde Bala, Eskom's Group Executive for Distribution. Eskom has since launched a comprehensive review and intervention strategy to address these security gaps and strengthen its operations against future threats. 'Earlier this year, Eskom successfully strengthened the protection of its current systems against potential threats. All system enhancements are managed through a robust Change Management process that spans all divisions, ensuring consistent oversight and control,' explained Len De Villiers, Eskom's Chief Technology and Information Officer. To address the vulnerabilities that allowed the token fraud to occur, Eskom has reinforced its physical infrastructure and limited both physical and digital access points. Eskom has also strengthened internal controls to combat electricity theft and enhanced monitoring capabilities to ensure greater transparency and timely detection of suspicious activities. In parallel, Eskom has been working closely with law enforcement agencies to support ongoing investigations and ensure accountability. As part of this effort, internal employees who have been implicated have been placed on precautionary suspension pending further review. Furthermore, Eskom has engaged an external IT firm to strengthen in-house capabilities and improve risk management. The utility has also fast-tracked the acquisition of a new, secure vending system designed to replace the compromised OVS and prevent similar incidents in the future. Throughout this process, Eskom has maintained regular reporting to its board, which continues to provide oversight of all remediation efforts. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'We are fully aware of the challenges that have emerged within the OVS environment, and we have taken clear steps to address them. Our focus is on restoring trust, strengthening our systems, and ensuring that our customers can rely on a secure and efficient service," said Eskom's Group Chief Executive, Dan Marokane. "This is not just a technical fix, it is part of a broader commitment to transparency, operational excellence and accountability.' While the investigation into the token fraud continues, Eskom has pledged to share the findings once the process is concluded and the appropriate time for disclosure has been determined. In the meantime, the utility has called on customers and stakeholders to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity related to prepaid electricity tokens. As Eskom moves forward with its efforts to protect its infrastructure and rebuild public confidence, it reassures South Africans that their electricity, and their trust, remain top priorities. IOL
IOL News
03-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Eskom announces stricter security measures following Online Vending System breach
Embattled power utility Eskom has announced new security and oversight measures for its prepaid electricity system Image: Supplied Embattled power utility Eskom has announced new security and oversight measures for its prepaid electricity system, aimed at strengthening its Online Vending System and improving control across its operations. The decision to implement the new measures comes after the release of a forensic report detailing a breach of the Online Vending System (OVS) in Eskom's full-year financial results for 2024, which were published in December 2024. According to the state-owned power utility, the system was exploited to create and distribute fraudulent prepaid electricity tokens. This incident highlighted significant vulnerabilities in both the physical and cybersecurity aspects of the utility's prepaid electricity infrastructure. In a statement issued to the media on Wednesday, Eskom said that it has undertaken a "comprehensive review and intervention strategy aimed at mitigating these vulnerabilities and restoring the integrity of the system." 'We uncovered weaknesses in physical and cybersecurity components on our OVS system,' Monde Bala, Eskom's Group Executive for Distribution, said. 'Earlier this year, Eskom successfully strengthened the protection of its current systems against potential threats. All system enhancements are managed through a robust Change Management process that spans all divisions, ensuring consistent oversight and control. Bala also stressed that the new measures are part of the utility's broader effort to safeguard operations and improve system integrity. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ "These measures are part of Eskom's ongoing commitment to safeguarding operations and addressing identified vulnerabilities,' said Eskom's Chief Technology and Information Officer, Len De Villiers. Eskom's Group Chief Executive, Dan Marokane, acknowledged the challenges facing the Online Vending System (OVS) and emphasised the utility's determined response. 'We are fully aware of the challenges that have emerged within the OVS environment and we have taken clear steps to address them. Our focus is on restoring trust, strengthening our systems, and ensuring that our customers can rely on a secure and efficient service. This is not just a technical fix, it is part of a broader commitment to transparency, operational excellence and accountability,' s Marokane said. Eskom added that it will continue to investigate and strengthen its systems and governance. "Eskom continues to investigate and strengthen its systems and governance, it calls on stakeholders and its customers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity related to prepaid electricity tokens". IOL Business Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel
The South African
17-05-2025
- General
- The South African
The ONE province with no loadshedding in South Africa
Eskom announced a fresh round of power outages this past week, however, one province with no loadshedding remained. That, of course, is the Western Cape. In fact, even during the height of load reduction back in 2023 (330 days out in the year), the province was regularly able to get away with significantly lower stages than the rest of the country. Now, Eskom has detailed why the province with no loadshedding is able to perform the way it does. And the discrepancy between it and other provinces. Specifically, the state-owned entity cites fewer illegal electricity connections and less theft/vandalism. Joburg areas to have continued power outage in May 2025. Image via Instagram @Eskom_holdings Eskom introduced loadshedding as a system-wide measure when there's insufficient capacity to meet overall electricity demand, says the utility. In so doing, it is able to protect important infrastructural equipment. Therefore preventing more extensive outages – like substation fires, which are common in Gauteng – by temporarily preventing overloading. Moreover, Eskom's group executive Monde Bala, says illegal electricity connections, meter bypassing, theft/vandalism also contributes to overloading the network. Combine that with typically higher consumption during winter, when consumers use heaters and geysers to keep warm, and you have higher chances of loadshedding. 15 Johannesburg suburbs will experience a power outage this month. Image: iStock As you can see from the Eskom graphic (up top), Gauteng is 30% more likely to suffer from loadshedding than Western Cape. Likewise, Limpopo and Mphumalanga are 22% higher. Which is ironic considering this is the heart land of South Africa's coal-fired energy reserves. Meanwhile the province with no loadshedding is working hard to draw energy sustainably and remove itself from the Eskom grid all together. In response, Eskom says it will install 7.2-million 'smart meters' to help reduce losses and enable safer 'loadlimiting' across the country. Provincial Commissioner welcomes copper bust worth about R3 million in Kimberley. Image: SAPS In turn, theft and vandalism remain significant threats to the continuous supply of electricity in South Africa. Between April 2024 and February 2025, Eskom says infrastructure vandalism and theft cost R221 million. Thankfully, this is down from R271 million in the same period stretching from 2023-2024. On average, Gauteng experiences the highest loadshedding – 179 MW . . Mpumalanga ranked second with 132 MW . . Limpopo places third with 103 MW. While the lowest levels are in the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape respectively. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
