Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Sitting down with the skilled Newcastle branch of South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks). We learn which large-scale crimes negatively affect the various Northern KwaZulu-Natal towns—impacting the areas running, progression and infrastructure.
Speaking to the commander of the Newcastle branch, Lieutenant Colonel Mzikayifani Zibani, and Captain Francisca van Tonder, coupled with the above, we disclose some of the fantastic work the Hawks are putting into keeping the said towns safe.
Kicking off, the team affirms that they have been clamping down on perpetrators targeting Telkom lines, Eskom cables, national fuel lines, cellphone tower batteries, train lines and cables used by Transnet. A rather large scope to contend with.
Coming as welcome news, Colonel Zibani and Captain van Tonder explain that sentencing has become much harsher for those committing these crimes due to the impact on the economy and service delivery.
“The first time you are caught and sentenced, you face a chance of receiving a 15-year sentencing. If you are caught a second time, you will receive up to 25 years imprisonment,” states Zibani.
While many might think organised crime, targeting state-owned enterprises such as Eskom, Telkom and Transnet only occur in larger cities—the Hawks affirm that it is a common challenge in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, especially in Newcastle, Ladysmith, Dundee and Vryheid.
One of these incidents occurred on 20 July 2021, when three men attempted to steal fuel from the Transnet National Pipeline in the Karbochem area resulting in three suspects being apprehended.
Zibani points out that the suspects had done extensive planning before attempting to carry out their deed. They were found with one tanker and trailers, all of which had been filled with crude oil. With the perpetrators behind bars, further investigations are being conducted to establish where they planned to take the crude oil and fuel. As Captain van Tonder points out, “In South Africa, the only people allowed to work with crude oil is Sasol.”
Stating this is not an isolated incident, Zibani says, “Since 2020, we have had three cases where crude oil was targeted in the area.”
Fuel lines in Ladysmith also recently sustained substantial damage due to thieves cutting into the pipeline. Four cases of diesel theft have also been reported to the Hawks, with the officials investigating every avenue to apprehend the suspects.
Copper cables cut from the Transnet lines were also recently stolen, and the suspects were apprehended. Captain van Tonder highlights that the 6-metre cable was valued at R175 000. With the state-owned freight company left to fork out the cash to repair the lines, Zibani says, what makes it worse, is that the cable was cut from a critical railway line connecting Mpumalanga and Richards Bay. Fortunately, nine suspects were recently apprehended for stealing cables in the Dannhauser area.
With the Hawks placing heightened focus on these organised crimes, Colonel Zibani explains that boundless investigative work is required in apprehending culprits. This, he explains, is due to the pipelines for crude oil and fuel lines running in isolated areas. The railway lines and the Eskom and Telkom lines are also often targeted in remote areas.
Looking at the financial implications of the said crimes, Colonel Zibani offers further insight into how costly these crimes are.
Regarding crude oil and diesel being stolen from pipelines, he explains the perpetrators cut a hole in a pipe. “They then use the necessary equipment to pump it into their tanker. The thing is, once they are finished and leave, the oil and diesel is still pumping out.”
This then damages the soil, goes into water supplies and can potentially jeopardise the wellbeing of livestock from farms in the area. All of which will need to be repaired by the necessary teams. Further stating, “It takes more than two years to rehabilitate the soil, as it has to be removed, rehabilitated and then returned.” All of this, he highlights, costs enormous sums of monies.
As for the Telkom lines and vandalism of network providers’ towers, in a statement, Telkom says this trending crime has a lasting, ripple effect on the broader society and makes it challenging to enable the communication that ensures that vital services are delivered and day-to-day tasks are completed. In a statement, Telkom explains, “The running costs to repair can represent 15% – 20% of Telkom’s Business as Usual capital expenditure.”.
In addition to repairs, Telkom states that the theft of cables and infrastructure, costs South Africa more than R7 billion per year. “The money spent fixing damaged sites draws investment away from providing additional coverage and capacity to provide better service to customers. Battery theft and vandalism poses a very serious risk to all of South Africa.”
Adding to this, in June 2021, Transnet explained it was continuing its efforts to halt cable theft and infrastructure vandalism, an issue that has escalated to a national problem in recent years.
In a statement, the South African rail, port and pipeline company explained, “Transnet’s interventions include the redeployment of personnel and other resources to the most affected lines, increased use of technology, collaboration with law enforcement agencies, customers and other state-owned companies affected by the theft and vandalism.”
The interventions thus far have led to over 600 arrests since the beginning of the year, with the suspects charged in terms of the Criminal Matters Amendment Act (18 of 2015) on Theft of Ferrous or Non-Ferrous Metal forming part of Essential Infrastructure. According to Transnet, the hotspot areas targeted by these criminal activities include Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Free State and the North-West.
With these crimes impacting the country, the local Hawks are saluted for their efforts in combating this serious issue
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