South Africans go in after hearing that petrol attendant won't get cash directly, despite him 'requesting' it

South Africans have expressed their anger over the news that the money gathered for petrol attendant Nkosikho Mbele would not be paid directly to him, even though the viral campaign where funds have been allocated insists that he requested it manage the cash.

Mbele gained overnight fame after a post about his kindness went viral.

A woman named Monet van Deventer took to Facebook to share the story of how Mbele had helped her by paying for her petrol after she had forgotten her purse at home.

Van Deventer started a crowdfunding campaign for Mbele with the aim of raising R100,000. The campaign easily surpassed that target and has so far raised R400,000.

However BackaBuddy NPC, the site which hosted the campaign, tweeted that the funds raised would not go directly to him and would instead be managed by the crowdfunding platform.

According to BackaBuddy, Mbele asked for the money to be handled this way.

Many viewed this as a scam  - here is a snapshot of some of the reactions:

According to BackaBuddy, it will share Mbele's response today, adding that it is acting on his "express wishes" that were inspired by his "not living in a safe area".