Average South Africans do not know where and how they can get their hands on crude oil.
But the Newcastle Regional Court has sentenced two men to direct imprisonment for stealing crude oil and damaging infrastructure.
Boitumelo Mathabatha and MacDonald Ndlovu were convicted for the theft of crude oil and tampering and/or damaging essential infrastructure. The crude oil had an estimated value of R400 000 and the damage to infrastructure was approximately R11 million.
The court heard that on 20 July 2021, police were notified of an abandoned truck found in a field in Newcastle. The truck was empty, but the keys were in the ignition and there were two trailers attached to the truck.
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“There was a fuel pipe attached to the truck and a fresh hole in the ground next to the truck. It was discovered that the tankers were filled with crude oil that Boitumelo and MacDonald had accessed by digging into an extensive underground pipeline belonging to Transnet.
“Boitumelo and MacDonald had hired the truck and the driver to carry out their plans. Once the hired driver realised that they were stealing, he notified his employer (the truck owner) and Boitumelo and MacDonald were arrested.”
In court Advocate Kogi Ramkilawon, for the state, led the evidence of the truck driver and the owner of the truck. Cellphone evidence proved vital for the state in this matter as it linked the accused directly to the crime.
In aggravation of the sentence, advocate Ramkilawon told the court that the offence was a premeditated one and was likely linked to a syndicate operation. She said that damage to infrastructure has a huge impact on the country.
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Advocate Ramkilawon led the evidence of a manager from Bidvest who assisted Transnet with security. In his testimony, the man said that it costs several million rands to repair damaged essential infrastructure. He added that it takes the soil about 20 years to recover from crude oil spillages.
Boitumelo and MacDonald were sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for theft and 15 years imprisonment for tampering and/or damaging essential infrastructure. Since the sentences will run concurrently, they will serve an effective sentence of 15 years imprisonment.
The Director of public prosecutions in KwaZulu-Natal, Advocate Elaine Harrison said this is a very serious offence.
“The damaging and theft of fuel from the fuel pipeline has caused major financial losses to the economy. Every successful prosecution is indicative of law enforcement agencies addressing the issue. We will continue to vigorously address this crime to ensure that more cases are investigated and successfully prosecuted.”
