A 28-year-old suspect is appearing in the Ogies Magistrates court on the morning of 11 March 2020, after being arrested in a multi-disciplinary operation by members of the Hawks, together with Transnet, SAPS and Security on Monday at Kendall, Mpumalanga.
It was reported that there was a pressure drop on the pipeline and an intelligence driven operation was initiated and the service of the SAPS Air wing was enlisted to check what could possibly be causing the drop.
A suspicious, newly built tin house was discovered at a coal yard where the pipeline is alleged to be passing through. A thorough search of the tin house revealed evidence that confirmed the team’s suspicions. Entry was gained into the tin house and further search revealed a hole in the pipeline where leakage was causing the pressure drop. Inside the tin house, a generator and eight bowsers were recovered.
The security guard on duty indicated no knowledge of the contents found in the tin house but was able to assist with the identity of the owner. The owner, a foreign national, was not around. He was arrested immediately upon his return for theft of diesel.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
