Eskom has moved to assure South Africans that there are no new or emerging breaches to its Online Vending System (OVS).
In December 2024, the power utility disclosed, as part of its full-year 2024 financial results, a forensic report detailing the breach of its OVS which had led to the generation and distribution of fraudulent prepaid electricity tokens.
The power utility denied media reports that it “did not respond to a question regarding the OVS”.
“As part of Eskom’s turnaround strategy, we remain committed to being transparent with the South African public and working with the media to ensure that the facts are always well-presented.
“This level of collaboration will ensure that we do not raise unnecessary alarms and resist the urge to recycle and present old news as new,” the power utility said.
Recapping the work done since the discovery of the initial breach, Eskom said it had implemented a “comprehensive review and intervention strategy to mitigate vulnerabilities” and to restore the integrity of the system.
“Decisive actions were taken to curb OVS fraud, secure systems, protect revenue and safeguard customers.
“As stated in the progress update provided on 18 September 2025, key actions [were] implemented as part of a multi-layered approach strengthening physical security, cyber resilience and operational controls,” the power utility said.
These actions include:
- Tighter physical access controls to secure vending environments.
- Enhanced cybersecurity tools and monitoring to prevent unauthorised access.
- Stronger user-access controls with weekly dashboards flagging irregularities.
- Expanded investigative measures, conducted in collaboration with law enforcement, have been concluded for some of the implicated employees (and are underway for all implicated employees), with the internal process resulting in their dismissal. Certain elements have been referred to the authorities, and the company will cooperate fully.
- Deployment of detection tools to highlight risk areas and enable early intervention.
- Rollout of smart meters and reconciliation methods to validate fraud levels monthly.
- Acceleration of a new, secure vending platform to replace the current OVS.
“As the investigation into the OVS breach continues with law enforcement, and vending fraud is now reduced to very low levels, Eskom is proving that stronger systems, smarter technology, and decisive action are protecting revenue and ensuring secure, reliable electricity for all South Africans,” Eskom said. – SAnews.gov.za
