Johannesburg – A suspected kingpin of a syndicate linked to the theft of fuel and damage to Transnet’s essential infrastructure was arrested in Pretoria on Wednesday.
Transnet Pipelines (TPL) said the arrest of the 35-year-old kingpin follows the apprehension of two other suspects on Saturday, (16 October 2022), for theft of fuel and tampering.
The pair are accused of tampering with Transnet’s pipelines in Vrede, Free State.
“The suspects were arrested while delivering the stolen fuel in Kromdraai, Witbank,” said TPL in a statement released Wednesday by the company’s spokesperson, Saret Knoetze.
“A multi-disciplinary task team led by the Free State Hawks, together with members of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation team, Bidvest Protea Coin Security (the TPL service provider), Gauteng Traffic Department Saturation Unit, the Ekurhuleni District Operational Task team, and South African Revenue Service, as well as other key role-players, made the arrests.”
TPL said 49 arrests have been made in the past three months.
Since 2019, TPL said it has experienced an unprecedented increase in fuel theft incidents, which led to the organisation strengthening its security measures and action plans to address these activities.
TPL said the consequences have been “a loss of volumes, environmental damage, explosions, injuries, and fatalities”.
Transnet said it was confident that the National Prosecuting Authority will ensure that the matter is brought before the courts and prosecuted to ensure a successful conviction so that a strong message is sent to “would be perpetrators”.
The pipeline is classified as essential infrastructure, therefore tampering, or colluding to tamper, is a Schedule 5 offence in terms of the Criminal Matters Amendment Act, Act 18 of 2015.
The minimum sentence for a first offender is 15 years and the organisation trusts that the offenders will face the full might of the law.
Commenting on Wednesday’s arrest, TPL said it applauds the joint operation, which led to the successful arrest of three fuel theft suspects.
“Members of the public and petroleum retailers are urged to report unregistered traders to the police,” Transnet said.
