****** remark by Engen Service station Tableview manager

Hi guys.

I would like to share an extremely disappointing experience I had earlier today when I visited your service station in Tableview.

I dont use my vehicle that often but decided to start her up and take her for ride today but noticed that somehow the petrol seemed to be on empty so I made my way to get fuel and grabbed one of those 5litre bottles or containers whatever we can call it, and made my merry way to your service station to purchase fuel, the attendant asked me to get approval from the manager to fill up or needed to purchase a gas can from them.

I decided to go inside to speak to the manager, they were in a meeting and I was asked to wait which I duly did as requested, after a while a gentleman approached me to find out what I needed and I explained my situation to which he advised that instead of keeping me waiting he would get the manager, the 2 gentleman came by and I explained my situation to which the manager advised that due to a national rule passed on to the service station they cannot sell petrol in an oil or water container but can sell it in a can which seems strange to me but I didn't want to argue, I respected that he was only doing his job and I had no reason not to trust him.

I am certainly for people that follow rules even if it doesn't make any sense to me however it just seemed like a way to ****** money out of people in a vulnerable situation, you guys want to sell me a container so that I can then buy fuel from you, I have not heard of anything so absurd before.

This is where it gets crazy, at first I didn't understand when the guy said to me that it is because of "you people in Phoenix and the riots in Durban, they are not allowed to sell fuel in a container" (That contradicts what you just said about me buying your special bottle, doesn't it?)

I mean, I live in Capetown and honestly I actually feel this is ****** and stereotypical to say things like this, Why? Is it because I look a certain way?

Guys, we are living in an evolving world and I feel that we should respect everyone, I am a paying customer and feel terribly upset by the way I was addressed, treating customers in this manner is unspeakable, I am lost for words to explain how deeply saddened I am by the way I was treated today.

This is a sensitive topic but the remark that my people were rioting in Durban I really think this is sick, what next, Jews /christians and Muslims start a war in our backyard because Israel and the US attacked Iran, are we that foolish? Really, because I don't see why we should be bringing this here, how this becomes an issue in a totally different province altogether, Am I going to throw petrol from Capetown to attack someone in Durban, where is the logic, at some point we have to agree that this is complete nonsense.

I don't understand too much of the situation in Durban and choose not to comment however after my experience I did take the time to do a bit of research afterwards and it is so sad that people have lost their lives but I am not sure if I missed it but I have not found any articles online where petrol was used as weapon, I think there were some vehicles that caught alight but don't cars already have petrol in the tank? I don't know but if I ever think of starting a fire, I look for a bunch of old newspapers or some blitz firelighters and I get my braai going.

All joking aside, I would also like to understand the logic, Engen will not sell me petrol in my can but would sell me petrol using their can which I needed to purchase from them, if there is a restriction is selling fuel, it doesn't make any sense, wouldnt I still be able to use your can with petrol to go on an arson rampage? Not sure but seems quite ***** to me, you agree?

Think about it people, we face so many challenges in our lives every day, rising costs of fuel, food and everything else we need to stay alive, then we have managing all the work and personal stress, the last thing we need is to be treating each other with hatred in our hearts and that for absolutely no reason whatsoever, have I met you before, No, have we ever had any issues, No, Do you even know my name or where I am from? No, we have never met before but you hate me because I look a certain way.

Guys, honestly this is stupidity at its highest level, As South Africans we need to leave the past in the past, if we go back and look at our countries history, there has always been disagreements and conflicts and many lives where sadly lost, this is not even racial but also political and if we don't learn from these we are never going to stop fighting until there is nothing left.

History is not there to separate us but it should be there to teach us, I feel we should be helping each other instead of hating people you don't know for no reason whatsoever, you will never know but one day you will probably need that persons help.

Engen really needs to educate their staff on how they need to behave when on duty and wearing that uniform represting the company but also on how to speak to people, I am open to understand that people will always have their own idea towards this but I do believe that we should respect everyone.

Its really so, so disappointing, utterly heartbreaking and extremely disturbing, to think that I actually visited this service station so frequently as I live in the area and now I just feel so unsafe not knowing if I am going to be attacked whilst visiting this service station.

I am a not a very young person anymore and I know that times are changing and society is evolving, I just hope that people can stop hating each other based on race and come together so that we can all use our own quantities, qualifications, strengths and values to make South Africa a better place to live in.