Police stop slow-moving tanker in Middelburg CBD and find 16 000 litres of diesel with no papers

Two men were arrested in the Middelburg CBD on Monday, 26 October 2026 after police stopped a fuel tanker carrying about 16 000 litres of diesel and the occupants could not show any papers for it, the South African Police Service said in a media statement.

Members of the Nkangala Anti-Hijacking Task Team were on stop and search duties at about 22:00 when they spotted a white Mercedes-Benz tanker truck moving slowly along Walter Sisulu Street, near Mandela Drive. The vehicle was stopped with two male occupants.

A search of the truck found the diesel load. Police asked the men to produce proof of purchase, permits or documentation authorising them to transport the fuel. They failed to do so, and the two men, aged 20 and 27, were arrested for possession of suspected stolen property.

SAPS put the value of the seized tanker at about R850 000 and the 16 000 litres of diesel at around R480 000.

The suspects are expected to appear at the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court soon. The statement does not name the two men, does not say where the fuel was loaded or where it was headed, and does not say whether any other person or vehicle is being sought.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Apaphia Modise, commended the members for what the statement describes as their vigilance and alertness, which it says led to the recovery of the suspected stolen fuel and the arrest of the suspects.

The account is drawn from the SAPS media statement issued by the Office of the Provincial Commissioner Mpumalanga, which is a summary of the police account rather than the case docket. Enquiries on the statement are directed to Colonel Mavela Masondo.

The full statement is available at https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeechdetail.php?nid=72083.