HOW SOME RAILWAYS WORKERS STOLE FUEL, ENRICHED THEMSELVES

MBABANE - They built shopping complexes, double-storey houses; bedsitters for rental, bought different cars and vacant pieces of land using ill-gotten money.  
Intensive investigations by Eswatini Railways (ESR) and the police have revealed that some train drivers and petrol attendants accumulated massive wealth through money obtained from the theft of diesel belonging to the company (ESR) and trains from Transnet. Transnet is the largest and most crucial part of the freight logistics chain that delivers goods in the Republic of South Africa.  The theft reportedly began in 2018 and went undetected for over five years.  Per the investigations, the theft was of such magnitude that the locomotives or trains were emptied of all the fuel along the way. The problems of fuel theft at ESR date back decades and are allegedly perpetrated by a well-orchestrated clandestine group of ESR employees.

Implicated

It was found that the implicated employees were strategically placed into certain positions (from petrol attendant to train driver) so that the theft of fuel at the company was done with ease and regularity. As a result, the train would be pulled with the use of alternative engines to the nearest station, under the impression that it had developed mechanical faults yet it was incapacitated by the siphoning of the diesel. During investigations, it was revealed that members of the syndicate, consisting of the employees, received E5 000 to E15 000, being monies derived from the sale of the stolen fuel. One of the implicated workers, who is said to have been the mastermind, is said to have constructed 19 bedsitters, 10 of which are situated at KaShali in Manzini and the others at Mpaka.

Purchased

Another implicated worker is said to have purchased different types of motor vehicles and when investigators tried to trace them, they discovered that he had sold them. As per the investigations, the organised criminal enterprise in the theft of fuel from Eswatini Railways was cash-based and this was reportedly revealed by some of the employees involved in the syndicate.Internal investigation revealed that train drivers were siphoning fuel from both the local locomotives as well as from Transnet trains. As a consequence, other train drivers have been charged internally for theft of the fuel.  According to ESR, investigations into its fuel management books revealed that proper records were not kept and some books were not furnished.

Those that were furnished to investigators showed discrepancies on the recorded information. The company is said to be currently reconciling fuel orders, receipts and delivery notes from the Finance Department, from the financial year 2018-2023. Another modus modus operandi for stealing the fuel was that fuel purchased by ESR would be partially delivered and the remaining quantity would be taken to the illicit buyers.It was discovered that fuel discrepancies resulting from the theft from ER trains would at times be masked by replacing the fuel stolen from the railway company’s trains with fuel stolen from wagons of Transet trains.
 

The State has since obtained an order to preserve movable and immovable properties belonging to the suspects, through the Prevention of Organised Crimes Act (POCA) of 2018.   
ESR Cargo Assurance and Security Officer Cydwell Masuku deposed to an affidavit, outlining how the theft of diesel was uncovered. Masuku first outlined that ESR buys fuel (diesel and petrol) in bulk to fuel its locomotives as well as that of Transnet trains.  He stated that the trains were fuelled at ESR’s fuel depot at Mpaka Railway Station. His evidence was in the course of his duties, he received information that fuel was being siphoned from both the depot, as well as the locomotives.

Masuku said he reported the issue to his supervisors; being the director operations and technical services as well as the chief executive officer (CEO). He said police officers from the Lubombo Region were engaged and they confirmed knowledge of the matter and that they were investigating cases involving Thulani Bhembe and Ncamiso Makhubu. Masuku said it was agreed that certain train crews should be monitored.  It is his evidence further that Makhubu was an employee of ESR, who lived at Mpaka Village and also had a home close to Mpaka main road. He said they got information that Makhubu had purchased a mini-truck, which was a regular sight within Mpaka Village. Masuku submitted that on August 8, 2023, they received information that Makhubu and his train assistant, Phila Shongwe, had stopped at Lubhuku KM 135 and were illegally siphoning fuel from the locomotive.

He said police from Mpaka were called and they duly set out to the site where the train had stopped. It was his evidence that along the way, they came across Makhubu’s mini-truck driving down the road. He said it was there that he noticed 2x1 000 - litre tanks in the loading bin of the truck and they appeared empty.  Masuku said they decided to abandon the trip to the railway line and elected to monitor the movements of the mini-truck. He stated that it was not until after about 90 minutes to two hours that he heard Makhubu over the company’s radio, reporting to the train controller at Mpaka Railway Station that the KM 135 train had developed mechanical problems. Masuku stated that after a short while, he overhead Makhubu advising the train controller that he would pull out the cargo using the other locomotive engine and permission had been granted.

Masuku explained to the court that it was normal procedure that each load had two locomotive engines to use.  He said with the police, they continued to monitor the truck and at some point they were advised that it was seen at the main road. He said they proceeded to the main road, where they found its driver, Norman Nxumalo, detained together with the truck.

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