Police on the hunt for R300 petrol thieves

Durban North police are looking for a man in connection with the theft of R300 of petrol from a garage on Waterkant Road last week.

According to Captain Raymond Deokaran, the driver asked the petrol attendant to put in R300 worth of petrol and wash his windscreen.

When it was time for payment, the suspect said he would pay with his card, reports North Glen News.

“However, when the attendant asked the suspect to put on his mask, the man refused and a verbal altercation ensued. He then drove off without paying. CCTV footage showed the suspect’s vehicle was a VW Polo. However it was fitted with false number plates,” Deokaran said.

“A day later a similar incident occurred when the driver of an Isuzu bakkie also requested R300 in petrol. When it came to paying, the suspect paid R50 and then said he couldn’t pay for the rest and drove off.”

Cases of theft have been opened.

He also urged petrol attendants and station owners to ask drivers to switch off their cars while they are filling up.

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Commenting on unaudited mid-month fuel price data released by the Central Energy Fund, the Automobile Association (AA) said latest data showed the prospect of a 32 cents a litre drop in the price of diesel and 27 cents for illuminating paraffin for May.

“Petrol hasn’t fared as well, with a slight increase of six cents a litre predicted,” the AA said.

“However, the exchange rate performance is coming very close to nudging petrol into a decline and if the current trends continue, there may be across the board relief from the recent series of price hikes at month-end.

“Fuel is one of the most heavily-taxed commodities in South Africa. It is right and proper for the government to ensure the pricing structure is still appropriate,” it said.