Durban – A 37-year-old man was fined R30 000 on Tuesday for his role in stealing shipping containers worth millions from Durban’s port.

Terence Pillay pleaded guilty in the Durban Regional Court to 21 counts of theft.

Magistrate L Ndlovu said she decided on a fine as she thought imprisonment would “muzzle the accused” when it came to helping the police.

“The accused has been instrumental in uncovering a lot of alleged [illegal] activities,” Ndlovu said.

The court was told that Pillay handed himself to police and agreed to help them solve the crime.

Pillay was the manager at a storage company whose owner, Yusuf Omarjee, had been charged with stealing containers, fraud, and money laundering. Omarjee is out on R10 000 bail.

Half of Pillay’s sentence was suspended for five years, meaning he only had to pay R15 000.

If convicted of theft or attempted theft during that period he faces a six-year jail term.

– SAPA