Levy Masiteng
KwaZulu-Natal road construction and maintenance projects have been disrupted by the theft of heavy machinery and transport vehicles worth more than R250 million since 2024, MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma said on Thursday.
Duma said a “criminal syndicate” had stolen 43 heavy construction machines and transport vehicles from departmental projects across the province.
The stolen equipment includes TLBs, excavators, pay loaders, rollers, tipper trucks, loader backhoes, graders, LDV double cabs and truck cranes.
“This machinery is critical in ensuring timely construction of new roads and the maintenance of more than 34 000 kilometers of our road networks,” Duma said.
He said members of the syndicate had gone as far as hijacking departmental staff and construction workers before stealing vehicles and machinery.
In some cases, the criminals allegedly operated under the cover of darkness, while in others they used fake number plates and impersonated mechanics.
“The
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