Christmas bonanza for train hijackers

● December 7 last year — trains are sent to collect coal at mines run by Thungela Resources and Universal Coal. Three leave the depot but only one reaches its destination, meaning two are “stolen”.

● December 10 — three trains are recorded as being sent to collect coal at a mine run by Glencore. But four trains run, one of which is “stolen”.

● December 12 — three trains are allocated to collect coal from another Glencore mine. But four trains roll out, so one of them is “stolen”.

● December 21 — trains 460 and 432 are allocated for cargoes from mines owned by Glencore and Exxaro Resources respectively. Four trains leave the depots; two of these are “stolen”.

● December 22 — trains 456, 458 and 666 are dispatched to mines owned by Seriti Resources and Glencore but only two arrive at their destinations; the other is “stolen”.

● December 23 — one train is allocated but four roll out of the depot. Three of them are “stolen”.

● Christmas Day — three trains leave the depot; two are allocated to Thungela Resources, the third is diverted elsewhere.

● December 26 — trains 464 and 468 are dispatched to collect from mines run by Thungela and Seriti. A third, “stolen” train also leaves the depot.

● December 27 — trains 460 and 468 are allocated to Glencore. Three leave the depots, one of them “stolen”.

● December 31 — Seriti Resources orders two trains but three are dispatched, one of them being diverted elsewhere.

● January 2 — another train is “stolen” from Seriti Resources.

● January 5 — a train is allocated to Thungela, but two trains are railed, meaning one is “stolen”.

● January 6 — Exxaro Resources orders train 464 to collect from one of its operations, but two are railed and one is “stolen”.

● January 7 — one train is “stolen” from Thungela Resources using the same modus operandi.

● January 10 — trains 428 and 444 are allocated to collect from Vunene Mining and Glencore, but three trains are dispatched.

● January 14 — Thungela orders two trains but only one arrives; the other is “stolen”.

● January 18 — another train designated for Thungela is diverted elsewhere.

● January 24 — a train bound for African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) is stolen; separately two trains are dispatched to a Seriti-run operation, but only one arrives.

● February 13 — one train destined to collect coal belonging to ARM is stolen.