The recovery of five stolen container loads of electrical appliances from a Durban warehouse has made a bit of a laughing stock of Transnet’s media boasts about its multimillion rand, high-tech security system at the port. A system, it added, that is foolproof against bombcarrying brigands or other terrorists, and unauthorised entry to the harbour. But a criminal syndicate nicked five containers of Korean-made electrical equipment destined for a Johannesburg-based customer, and this despite the Port of Durban being declared to be one of the most secure facilities in Kwa Zulu Natal. An intensive police investigation followed the report of the theft. The first suspect grassed on his mates, and in the end 14 suspected thieves languished behind bars awaiting trial. The suspects claimed the goods using false documents, according to police captain Patrick Zwane. It’s difficult, but not impossible, to beat the official document trail – supposedly 100% guaranteed secure, using both clearance-stamped paper documentation and the pre-fed data in the port’s computer system, according to a container transport expert. The trail leads through shipping lines, forwarders, authorised road transporters and Durban harbour’s container terminals. Each step along the path is backed up by documentary and/or identification checking. The criminal gang would also need to have containercarrying trucks sprayed with the logo of the authorised transporter, and false number plates the same as those on the container terminal’s vehicle identity check. “And,” said the trucker, “you would have to have an inside accomplice somewhere along that chain if you were going to get or copy the correct documentation to do the job.” Hearing from the police that one of the suspects was employed at Durban harbour, FTW quizzed Les Biggs, Transnet Port Terminals executive, about whether the port employee was the inside accomplice behind the documentary scam. But, he told us, we were as wise as he was about the affair, from what we had all read in the press. “The police have not made us privy to their complete investigation,” Biggs said. “So I’m unable to comment except to say that the containers did come from Pier 1.” Despite further enquiries with other parties at Transnet, FTW was unable to establish whether this type of container theft was a common occurrence – or whether this was a once-off event.
