Petrol bandit hits the gas - with the petrol attendant

Updated July 25, 2025, 6:14 a.m. | By East Coast Breakfast / Skyye Ndlovu

Bro thought he could fill up and flee, but the petrol attendant is an undercover action hero!

Fiat petrol bandit — The petrol bandit / MDN News / Screenshot / X

Life in Mzansi? Yoh. We’re all just trying to survive load shedding, high petrol prices, and the trauma of Woolies receipts.

One guy recently took “trying to survive” to petrol-thieving levels.

ALSO READ: Shootout? No problem - Sixty60 is still delivering

A now-viral video shows a driver casually pulling into a petrol station in Rustenberg, filling up his Fiat bakkie.

According to sources, the driver filled up to R2000 before doing something not-so-casual: he sped off without paying.

Classic “slyza tsotsi” move.

Now, here’s where things took a turn for the “wait, WHAT?”

The petrol attendant? He didn’t flinch. As the bakkie bolted, the man flung himself into the back like it was a Fast & Furious audition.

Yep. He didn’t chase the car. He joined it. The man essentially kidnapped himself.

The video cuts off there, so we don’t know what happened next.

Did he negotiate a truce in the back? Did they stop at a KFC drive-thru together? That’s still unclear.

A petrol attendant jumped into the back of the bakkie after the driver attempted to flee without paying for petrol.🙆😳😳 pic.twitter.com/WYvmonF1Ba
— MDN NEWS (@MDNnewss) July 24, 2025

What is clear though is South Africans had thoughts. Lots of thoughts.

What seems like a “haha look at this guy throwing himself into the bakkie” moment is actually a sign of just how rough things are for petrol attendants.

ALSO READ: SAPS officers busted in washing powder heist

Naturally, South Africans didn’t hold back in the comments:

“Petrol attendants need to ask for keys before filling fuel, because the shortfall is taken from their salaries,” - A commenter with strong HR energy.

“Still don’t get why we buy fuel the same way we order champagne at a nightclub. Pay first. Then pour.” - This guy’s got a point.

“The way I don’t trust my bank balance, I check it 5 minutes before I leave home, pay immediately, then they can pour.” - Financial trauma is real. We get it.

“To prove that he planned it, he removed his number plate.” - Detective of the year. And… he’s right!

ALSO READ: Mpumalanga police hunt man bribing cops with fake notes

Also - just to prove how bizarrely South African this whole saga is; one person said:

“Knowing petrol station owners, they’ll charge him for leaving work early.”

Honestly? Wouldn’t even be surprised.