Two men in a luxury BMW are driving around with a full tank of diesel today after outsmarting an unsuspecting petrol pump attendant at the Windfarm along the N2, west of Gqeberha.
This is not the first time that thieves have presented themselves as customers.
Windfarm owner, Carel Bakkes says the latest incident happened at 3 am on Friday morning.
He says the driver asked for a full tank of diesel which came to R1 800.
Bakkes says his employee even pumped the tyres of the vehicle that had no number plates.
He says when it was time to pay, the driver asked the attendant to go around to his passenger who would make the payment.
Bakkes says it was then that the driver sped off back towards Gqeberha.
(Passenger in the vehicle;)
He says this is nothing new as it has happened at least five times with an average loss of about R60 000 to his business.
Asked why the employee did not raise the alarm due to the fact that the car had no number plates, Bakkes told Algoa FM News that it was not worth it for his staff to confront individuals who could turn on them.
"People just shoot these days, and you never know if they will pull a gun on you," he said.
Bakkes says they have thought about more stringent measures like asking for proof of license or registration, but again, he said, the risk is too high as the safety of his staff is of the utmost importance.
In December last year, a couple driving a Black Range Rover also drove off after filling up their vehicle to the value of R1 000.
Bakkes says the driver has since been arrested and subsequently linked to several other more serious crimes.
Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said no case of theft had been opened yet but Bakkes said it was on his to-do list.
The new fuel price adjustment for June is expected to be announced by the Department of Energy soon with the Automobile Association predicting significant reductions that will bring little relief to cash-strapped consumers.
