Government must pull out all stops for fuel sabotage

The story of the theft of more than three million litres of fuel from Transnet’s bulk fuel pipeline network raises the worrying prospect of a Nigeria-like situation where scores of people stealing fuel are incinerated when the volatile liquid catches fire.

Already, there have been at least five confirmed deaths in South Africa related to attempted pipeline fuel thefts.

Some of the theft operations are sophisticated, like the one in Mpumalanga, where tunnels were dug from a property adjacent to the pipeline so that the fuel could be stolen without detection.

High walls were built on the property to conceal what was happening.

When Transnet security teams arrived at the property, there was nobody there… perhaps a case of a tip-off?

Apart from the potential loss of life, theft of fuel costs the economy significantly in the long run.

Surely there are high-tech monitoring and detections systems available which allow security services to quickly react to ongoing thefts? If so, this should be deployed and if they are in place, why the high level of thefts?

Apart from ensuring the best possible security for the pipeline, those found and convicted of fuel theft should be handed down the harshest possible sentences, because this is sabotage.