Durban – The Hawks have seized a fleet of luxury vehicles from a man accused of stealing fuel worth R100 million from Transnet.
The 35-year-old man allegedly orchestrated an elaborate plan that saw fuel being siphoned from Transnet pipelines.
Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Philani Nkwalase said: "The luxury vehicles seized include a Jeep SRT 8 SUV, Mercedes Benz Viano minibus, Toyota Land Cruiser ldv, Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV and a Jeep V8 SUV. The value of these vehicle has not yet been established.
“Other items seized include five cellphones, documents, an illegal firearm and ammunition and an undisclosed cash amount," he added.
The man was arrested on Wednesday in Pretoria by a multi-disciplinary team led by the Free State Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation team, together with Bidvest Protea Coin Security and Gauteng Traffic Department Saturation Unit.
The suspect will appear in Vrede Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
Police said two suspects, Solly Khoza aged 35 and Mauro Aurela Langa, aged 41, were arrested and charged with theft of fuel and tampering with the Transnet national pipeline in Vrede. They were arrested while allegedly delivering the stolen fuel in Kromdraai, Witbank.
"It is now in public domain that almost 8.5 million litres of fuel, valued at approximately R102 million, have been stolen from national Transnet pipes in 2021," Nkwalase said.
Police explained that a second tanker was apparently seen in his premises over the weekend when his alleged accomplices were arrested.
"This has now been linked to a new incident of damage to Transnet pipeline in Pretoria on Thursday. The suspects fled the scene before arrest and the tanker was seized for further investigation.
“The case against five illegal immigrants arrested at his homestead was referred to the local detectives for a further probe," he said.
To date, 49 people have been arrested in the space of three months since the involvement of Bidvest Protea Coin Security.
Nkwalase said since 2019, 210 suspects have been arrested.
"We have also secured the conviction of 10 suspects through this collaboration of the police with Transnet.
“The alleged kingpin will be facing the main charge of damage to essential infrastructure and theft of fuel when he appears in Vrede court (today) on Friday. The Hawks in Free State have now been activated to begin their probe into the assets belonging to the alleged kingpin, suspected to be the proceeds of crime," she said.
IOL