A man was found dead lying in a pool of fuel inside a block valve chamber in a Transnet fuel pipeline trench in Boschkop on Wednesday morning.

Police spokesperson sergeant Yeroboam Mbatsane said the unknown man, believed to be 30-35 years old, was found by security inside a fuel pipeline trench near the R104 old Bronkhorstspruit road.

“According to security guards contracted to guard the pipeline, they received a call from their control room to check a suspected security breach signal in their area.

“Upon investigating, the security guards made the gruesome discovery of the body of a man lying face-up in a pool of petrol,” he said.

Mbatsane said the man was suspected to have been attempting to steal petrol from the pipeline as the infrastructure had been tempered with.

“Two 25 litre containers filled with fuel were found on scene. The pipeline block valve chamber was also open, suggesting it had been tampered with,” Mbatsane said.

Although the man was dressed in clothes similar to those worn by people working on the pipeline, Mbatsane said he was unknown to them. His oxygen equipment was also “makeshift”, he added.

Police have opened an inquest docket to probe the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.
“The investigation will determine whether the man died due to gas inhalation or something else.”

Mbatsane said there had been previous cases of fuel theft in the area, which is clearly marked as a fuel pipeline. It belongs to the state-owned entity, Transnet.

To identify the deceased, Mbatsane urged families with any missing males aged around 30-35 to report it to the Boschkop police station.

“The bulk petrol supply pipe is classified as a national key point, therefore such criminal activities won’t be tolerated. Police and other law enforcement agencies are patrolling the area 24/7.”

Transnet spokesperson Saret Knoetze said the entity had to activate an emergency response plan in the early hours of Wednesday when the National Operating Centre (NOC) detected a loss of pressure along the Kendal to Waltloo petroleum pipelines.

“The security teams were activated immediately and discovered tampering at the block valve chamber with an unidentified deceased person inside,” Knoetze said.

She said the incident was a harsh reminder to perpetrators of the dangers associated with tampering with the high pressure petroleum pipelines and their infrastructure.

“Their actions have resulted in fatalities, serious injuries, fire, explosions, environmental damage and other asset damage. This gruesome death brings the total number of fatalities to 7 over the past 3 years.”

She said more people could die should the criminal activities continue.

“We appeal to all residents living near our pipelines or driving past to report any suspicious activities near our infrastructure as their safety is dependent on it. The toll free number is 0800 203 843.”

Transnet has over the years been plagued by fuel theft amounting to millions of rand on their pipelines.

Police have urged anyone with information regarding the incident to contact the nearest police or report anonymously on MySAPSApp.