Effective R50k fine or two years imprisonment for Transnet fuel thief

A man caught stealing fuel from a Transnet pipeline has been sentenced.

Jumbo Silombo, 35, was ordered to pay a R100,000 fine or be jailed for four years for the offence in the Mimosadale area near Estcourt in November 2020, said Hawks captain Simphiwe Mhlongo.

Half his sentence was suspended for three years by the Estcourt regional court on Wednesday.

He had been in custody since his arrest.

"Silombo and his accomplices were caught by a private security company tampering with the Transnet pipeline. His accomplices fled and Silombo disconnected the pipe before he drove off with a tanker," said Mhlongo. "A chase ensued and he was spotted at a truck stop where he abandoned the tanker. He fled on foot to the nearby bushes. Police were alerted and he was arrested."

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