Sasolburg crude oil thief handed 15-year prison sentence!

Norman Tsvito, a convicted thief caught red-handed phoning crude oil from a Transnet pipeline in Sasolburg, north of Free State was handed 15-year jail term on Friday, 18 March.

The Sasolburg Magistrate Court found Tsvisto, and his accomplices guilty of theft and tampering with essential infrastructure.

The 44-year-old and his other three friends namely Cliff Mtanto, 46, Beckham Mtando, 28 and George Katumba, 56 were caught red-handed with crude oil by the police in August 2020.

According to a media release by Hawks spokesperson in Free State Captain Christopher Singo, this case emanates from August 2020 during midnight, where a rail and pipeline company, Transnet, got a ‘pressure drop’ from one of their pipeline units at Taaibos farm in Zamdela, Sasolburg.

“The matter was then reported to Hawks’ Serious Organized Investigation Team that is based in Sasolburg and the matter was then attended to,” Singo said.

“When the police arrived at the crime scene, they found accused loading crude oil from the valve into the truck.

The accused were then arrested and they appeared in court on several occasions culminated in their recent sentencing,” added Singo. 

The Magistrate Court then sentenced Tsvito to 15 years in prison, while the other three co-accused had to pay a fine of R1 000 or face 30 days imprisonment.