Company diesel theft on the rise
Tanya Waterworth
A SURGE in diesel theft from company premises was reported at the Richards Bay police meeting on Monday.
It was also highlighted that most of the corporates and big companies have forensically dyed diesel for easy identification.
But the smaller companies and fleet owners do not have the resources to put in forensic deterrents to identify stolen fuel.
'While diesel theft is not a new problem, it has definitely been getting worse as the diesel price has risen.
'We weld stainless steel inside the petrol tank opening so thieves cannot get a pipe in to steal the fuel,' said one truck company owner.
He added that as the steel price has risen, they have also seen a marked increase in the theft of steel rims from wheels.
While the diesel price went up by 65c on Wednesday putting the price at over R12 per litre, it was confirmed that the black market price for stolen diesel is R6 per litre.
Number plates
It was also confirmed at the police meeting that two cases of theft from petrol stations have taken place since the beginning of the year, when the suspect has driven away without paying for petrol.
While a recent circulating email warned that number plates were being stolen and used by petrol thieves, further investigation revealed that the email may well have originated from America as the word 'gas' was used, as opposed to the South African use of 'petrol'.
Police said no cases of stolen number plates with regard to petrol theft have been reported.
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