Harold Magushe Mabunda was sentenced on Wednesday, September 9, after being found guilty of tampering with essential infrastructure, theft of fuel and unlawfully transporting dangerous goods.
The case dates back to the early hours of July 2, 2022, when Transnet detected a sudden pressure drop in one of its fuel pipelines on a farm in Leslie, Mpumalanga.
According to Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, Transnet alerted Bidvest Security after detecting the pressure drop. Security officers rushed to the area to investigate.
While travelling to the site, they spotted a tanker believed to be linked to the incident.
Tanker flees
The driver failed to stop when instructed and sped away, triggering a high-speed chase towards Springs.
With assistance from Springs SAPS members, the tanker was eventually stopped.
Two men were arrested inside the vehicle, a tanker driver Bongani Jeremiah Mzizi (44) and his partner incrime, Mabunda (69).
Middelburg HAWKS take over
The case was then taken over by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team based in Middelburg.
A Transnet technical expert examined the fuel recovered from the tanker.
Samples were collected and sent for forensic testing. Nkosi confirmed that the results indicated that the fuel found in the tanker matched fuel from the Transnet pipeline.
This linked the recovered fuel to the unlawful removal of fuel from the pipeline.
One pleads guilty
Mzizi and Mabunda were charged with tampering with essential infrastructure and theft of fuel in connection with the Leslie case. They also faced charges of unlawfully transporting dangerous goods in connection with the Springs case.
Mzizi pleaded guilty on June 12, 2023, and was sentenced to 10 years’ direct imprisonment.
Mabunda chose to stand trial and was found guilty in August 2025.
Magistrate vs Mabunda
He appeared in court again on Wednesday, September 9, where he was sentenced to 10 years for tampering with essential infrastructure, 10 years for theft of fuel and one year for transportation of dangerous goods.
The magistrate ordered all three sentences to run concurrently and therefore Mabunda will serve an effective 10-year prison sentence.
The lengthy investigation was handled by the Middelburg-based Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation team, with assistance from Transnet, Bidvest Security and Springs SAPS.
