Two truck drivers contracted to Eskom were arrested at Kendal Power Station after they were found in possession of stolen coal.

The drivers were arrested on Wednesday night and a criminal case of theft of coal was registered with the Ogies police station, Eskom said in a statement.

Eskom said the trucks, belonging to an ash-transporting company contracted to Eskom, were exiting the power station coal gate when they were stopped by security personnel conducting vehicle inspections. Both truck drivers resisted the searches and maintained that the trucks were empty. With the persistence of a security team, the trucks were searched, and the stolen coal was found in the trailers.

"Eskom continues to lose billions of rands due to the misappropriation of coal and similar commodities, which directly affects production," said Karen Pillay, general manager for security at Eskom. "There are several illicit coal stockyards and dump sites in the province that are recipients of the stolen coal. Eskom will ensure that the perpetrators face the full might of the law."

Last month, as reported by News24, Eskom CEO André de Ruyter said extraordinarily high coal prices have made it extra lucrative for unscrupulous suppliers to swindle the utility whereby they steal Eskom coal, replacing it with discard coal, and exporting the utility's coal to Europe.

Eskom said the arrests are the result of "persistent and excellent" work by its security team, in partnership with the South African Police Service, who are working to identify and disrupt the criminal networks.