FREE STATE — The Vrede Regional Court has sentenced Zimbabwean national Shepard Vareni (38) to seven years’ imprisonment for damage to essential infrastructure and seven years’ imprisonment for theft of crude oil, with sentences to run concurrently.
He was also fined R5 000 or three months’ imprisonment for contravention of the Immigration Act and declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Pipeline sabotage operation
The sentencing stems from an incident on 25 September 2023 when security personnel received an alert about crude oil theft in progress at a farm near Memel. Assisted by local police, security officers pursued and arrested two suspects whilst recovering two vehicles.
Investigation revealed that the suspects had tampered with a Transnet pipeline and stolen crude oil, causing significant damage to critical national infrastructure.
On 25 September 2023, security personnel received an alert about crude oil theft in progress at a farm near Memel.
Lengthy legal process
Vareni was remanded in custody until his sentencing on 17 November. The trial against his co-accused and countryman, Felix Magatu (43), is scheduled for 19 and 20 January 2026 in the Vrede Regional Court.
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Free State head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Major General Mokgadi Bokaba, has welcomed the sentence and commended the investigating officer’s exemplary work.
The case highlights the ongoing challenges facing South Africa’s critical infrastructure, with oil theft and pipeline sabotage representing serious threats to national energy security.