Hawks Middelburg unut secured 10-year sentence for fuel theft
The investigations began when after Transnet detected a pressure drop in fuel pipelines.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) Serious Organised Crime Investigation team based in Middelburg successfully wrapped up a major criminal investigation, securing an effective 10-year prison sentence for Harold Magushe Mabunda(69) involved in fuel theft and the tampering of essential infrastructure.
The long legal process began in July 22, and Mabunda was found guilty in August last year.
Mabunda was handed his final sentence on today (September 9).
According to Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, investigations began when state logistics firm Transnet detected a sudden pressure drop along one of its primary fuel pipelines on a farm in Leslie.
Nkosi said Transnet immediately alerted Bidvest Security officers, who rushed to the area to investigate.
En route, security personnel spotted a suspicious heavy tanker driving away from the location.
“When guards ordered the vehicle to pull over, the driver sped off, sparking a high-speed pursuit towards Springs. With the assistance of local officers from the Springs police, the tanker was intercepted and forced to stop,” Nkosi said.
Nkosi added that the police arrested two men inside the vehicle, Bongani Jeremiah Mzizi (44) and Mabunda.
”The Middelburg Hawks unit immediately took over the complex investigation. The police brought in a Transnet technical expert to inspect the fuel found inside the seized tanker.”
Nkosi highlighted that the forensic test results from the collected samples conclusively matched the fuel to the exact batch flowing through the tampered Leslie pipeline, providing undeniable evidence against the duo.”
Both men were charged with damaging essential infrastructure and fuel theft regarding the Leslie incident, alongside charges of unlawfully transporting dangerous goods.
Mzizi chose to plead guilty in June 2023 and received a 10-year direct prison sentence.
His accomplice, Mabunda, decided to stand trial.
“The court handed Mabunda 10 years for tampering with essential infrastructure, 10 years for fuel theft, and one year for unlawfully transporting dangerous goods,” Nkosi added.
According to Nkosi, the magistrate ordered all sentences to run concurrently.
