Swazi train heist destroys R10m or iron ore

Swaziland’s largest railway heist has ended with the destruction of R10 million in iron ore from the country’s recently reopened iron ore mine. The robbery attempt at Swaziland’s border with Mozambique resulted in the destruction of the cargo. “This may be a case of mistaken identity in that the thieves may have anticipated that the cargo was sugar and when they found that it was iron ore they abandoned the effort,” said a police source familiar with the incident, which occurred last Monday but was only reported in the Swazi media on Wednesday. The information delay may have been due to the ownership of the train. Swaziland Railway, which is typically forthcoming with information, does not own the train, which was a private train run by Salgaocar Swaziland. After the reopening of a long-dormant iron ore mine in western Swaziland in 2011, Salgaocar trucks bearing iron ore tailings to Maputo for shipment overseas experienced a series of serious accidents, and the company opted a few months ago to transport by rail from central Swaziland via its own train. According to media reports, as the train was stopped at customs at the Mozambique border, thieves loosened the cargo shells, which fell off when the train began moving. The spilled iron ore was contaminated by soil and debris when it was scattered across the ground and is not salvageable, according to media reports. Swaziland Railway referred enquiries to the train owner, Salgaocar Swaziland, which declined to comment on the incident. Other than minor pilfering from time to time, Swaziland has not known a major theft from or destruction of railway cargo. Given that the train sabotage occurred in Mozambique, that record remains unblemished.