The attempted theft of fuel on Transnet’s pipeline resulted in three fatalities early on Sunday morning, the state-owned company (SOC) has said.
A statement released by the parastatal said Transnet Pipelines had received notification of a fire at Horseshoe Road (Clairwood, Durban), which is in close proximity to the fuel pipeline.
“The Transnet Pipelines National Operations Centre immediately shut down the pipeline and activated the emergency response plan.”
Response teams, including Ethekwini Disaster Management, the South African Police Service, Fire Departments and Spill responded to the incident.
Transnet said that a preliminary assessment had indicated that a botched attempt to siphon fuel from the strategic pipeline network between Gauteng and the Port of Durban had caused the incident.
The SOC said: “There has been an unprecedented spate of fuel theft incidents on the pipelines and the associated infrastructure during the last two years.
“Due to the inherent dangers of tampering with high-pressure petroleum pipelines, these incidents have resulted in fire and other asset damage, as well as environmental incidents, with high remediation costs.
“Due to the nature of the petroleum products transported by the pipeline, some activities have resulted in serious injuries and/or fatalities. Transnet has implemented various security measures to address the theft attempts, some of which have yielded positive results.
“To date, 159 arrests have been made, 254 criminal cases opened, and 57 fuel tankers and 54 vehicles impounded. The interventions implemented thus far have ensured a reduction in the number of incidents.”
The last time Transnet Pipelines reported an incident was in July.
“We continue to work with law enforcement agencies to stop this criminal activity and keep the pipelines and surrounding communities safe. As the pipelines traverse many rural, semi-rural and urban areas, we continue to appeal to any persons living near the pipelines or driving past, especially at night, to report any suspicious activities e.g. bakkies, fuel tankers in the area of the block valve chambers or near our pipeline markers etc.”
People are requested to report suspicious activities to 0800 203 843.
