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- Gauteng Hawks arrested two people for fuel theft in Vosloorus on Wednesday night.
- A Transnet depot in Germiston raised the alarm about suspicious tampering of the national pipeline.
- Hawks spokesperson Lloyd Ramovha said police seized a truck and other equipment during an investigation.
The Hawks have arrested two men for alleged fuel theft from the national pipeline in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg.
The men, aged 26 and 30, were arrested on Wednesday night.
A spokesperson for the Hawks, Captain Lloyd Ramovha, said the police “intensified” their investigation towards the N3 highway after a Transnet depot in Germiston had flagged possible tampering with the national pipeline.
On Wednesday evening, authorities arrested the men who drove in a white Isuzu in the Phumla area.
“They stopped the car and found six large plastic containers loaded at the back. Further examination confirmed the contents to be just over 4 750 litres of diesel. The pair were immediately apprehended, and they led the team to a nearby stand adjacent to the freeway,” said Ramovha.
Officers discovered a hosepipe linked to a generator and extended to an underground tunnel that connects it to the national pipeline.
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Police seized a truck and other equipment, said Ramovha. Gauteng provincial head of the Hawks, Major General Ebrahim Kadwa, welcomed the arrests.
“The operation proves that the DPCI [Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation – known as the Hawks] is closing down on all criminal activities relating to the tampering of the key national infrastructure. The deployment of intelligence-based initiatives that encompass the latest technology will intensify.
“The public cannot afford to sit and watch when our infrastructure is being damaged at the rate it is. The immense risk and danger posed by tampering with the fuel pipeline are inconceivable,” said Kadwa.
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