Durban - POLICE have recovered 181 tons of stolen railway tracks and railway sleepers, worth R8million, from a scrapyard in South Durban.
The provincial Non-Ferrous Task Team had received information about stolen Transnet infrastructure at a scrap yard situated on South Coast Road, in Maydon Wharf, the night before, said police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker.
“On Friday morning, the team was joined by officials from Transnet, Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and Telkom. They proceeded to the identified bulk metal scrapyard and discovered tons of railway lines and railway sleepers on the site. The items were positively identified by a representative of Transnet as belonging to them,” Naicker said.
After being questioned, staff on the premises produced a letter that said the items had been authorised for sale by Prasa. However, Prasa head office said the letter was fraudulent.
“A total of 181 tons of Transnet infrastructure was seized by police. The items have an estimated value of R8million,” Naicker said.
Two suspects were arrested for tampering with essential infrastructure, and police investigations revealed that the railway lines had been removed from Greytown, he said.
Prasa provincial spokesperson Zama Nomnganga said he was in possession of the fraudulent letter that was produced by staff at the scrapyard.
“The group chief executive never wrote a letter nor did the administrator because it must come from either the executive or myself. No letter was given to anyone to remove any railway tracks,” Nomnganga said.
He said the letter was signed by someone who was not part of Prasa.
“Those specific railway lines were the old lines heading to and from Greytown, Umkomaas and Kokstad. People were starting to steal them. The thieves also had machinery to uproot the lines, which belonged to Transnet Freight Rail,” Nomnganga said.
He said that even if the lines had been abandoned, they would have been revived at a later stage.