Pretoria – Three Transnet employees were remanded in custody after they appeared in court for possession of the state-owned enterprise’s batteries worth more than R140 000.
“Aphiwe Dike (27), Siso Jonas Kulunga (27) and Njabulo Malapane (26) were remanded in custody by the Ogies Magistrates Court on Friday after they were arrested by Transnet security personnel on Thursday, 27 January, for theft and possession of Transnet batteries,” said Hawks provincial spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi.
She explained that the trio was arrested after Transnet security personnel stopped a Nissan NP300 at Saaiwater Transnet housing premises in Ogies. She said the men were found loading “some items” from the Saaiwater railway station.
“There were three males inside the bakkie and other three at the back. After stopping the bakkie, three men who were at the back ran away and the other three were arrested,” said Sekgotodi.
“Members of the Hawks' serious organised crime investigation based in Middelburg were summoned. During the search, 12 Transnet batteries were found from the back of the bakkie, valued at R144 000.00.”
Sekgotodi said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects are employees of Transnet.
“The suspects were charged and taken to court. They were remanded in custody and the case was postponed to 4 February 2022 for formal bail application,” said Sekgotodi.
Earlier this month, seven suspects were arrested after they were found in possession of suspected stolen Transnet railway tracks in Camperdown outside Pietermaritzburg.
The men were apprehended during a joint operation which included Magma Security & Investigations, Camperdown SAPS and the Hawks in Pietermaritzburg.
IOL