Question NW1167 to the Minister of Transport
06 May 2022 - NW1167
Sithole, Mr KP to ask the Minister of Transport
What number of economic sabotage cases has his department discovered, which were executed by (a) individual persons and (b) organised crime syndicates with regard to the damage and/or vandalism of train stations and/or rail infrastructure?
Reply:
There are no crimes classified as economic sabotage. The Crime Administration System (CAS) of the South African Police Service (SAPS) has no crime category called Economic Sabotage. All crimes are categorized under Criminal Matters Amendment Act, No. 18 of 2015, which has introduced a new offence that deals with all Essential Infrastructure related crimes to underscore the seriousness of the crime committed. Section 3(1) of the Amendment Act creates a new offence (not catered for in the Second-hand Goods Act 2009) in terms of which:
“ 1. …any person is guilty of an offence it he unlawfully and intentionally
“ (a) tampers with, damages or destroys essential infrastructure; or
(b) colludes with or assists another person in the commission, performance or carrying out of activity referred to in paragraph (a), and who knows of ought reasonable to have known or suspected that it is essential infrastructure, is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a period of imprisonment no exceeding 30 years or, in the case of a corporate body as contemplated in section 332(2) of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977, a fine not exceeding R100 million.
All criminal incidents of this nature are reported to SAPS who process the information/matters in terms of their own internal protocols.