Johannesburg - Foreign nationals in Centurion have complained they are being stopped from receiving much-needed food parcels because of their nationality.


Several foreign nationals who live in Olievenhoutbosch claimed a ward councillor refused to register them to receive food parcels.

One woman said: “The councillor was walking around the area registering people. When I asked that I also be registered, he said that was not possible because I am not a South African."


The woman, from Zimbabwe, said the councillor, whose name is known to The Star, said to get the food parcels, people needed to provide their South African ID numbers.

“I told him that I am in the country legally and I could give him my passport number, but he still refused,” she said. The councillor’s phone was off on Thursday.

Gauteng Social Development spokesperson Thabiso Hlongwane said: “That councillor can’t do that. We are responsible for those people, whether they are from Angola, Congo or anywhere else."

Am not gonna comment because the same people who who want free food from south africa will insult me and my country calling us xenophobic for looking after our own and I will defend my country. Then the administrator will block me. Anyway is never their country of origin thet their stuck in this situation.

Well, what are your personal thoughts? Put it mildly and not provocatively.

so you expect a foreign country to feed you while their own people are suffering, abi?!?

We Africans are the architect of our problems and we blame country like China for what we do to each other

Wetin they worry these people??

So how is it Nigerians business?

sammyj:
We Africans are the architect of our problems and we blame country like China for what we do to each other

I think these are isolated incidents. I've heard leaders say everyone should be assisted during the lockdown. That it is time for solidarity during this crisis. It's not in anyone's interest to have people dying in their homes.

But with that said government coffers are rather stretched right now (the county had just fallen into recession before Covid) - so I guess SA citizens will get priority in some instances.

MrBrownJay1:
so you expect a foreign country to feed you while their own people are suffering, abi?!?

This quote from the article says it all - SA govt is willing to assist foreign nationals.

Gauteng Social Development spokesperson Thabiso Hlongwane said: “That councillor can’t do that. We are responsible for those people, whether they are from Angola, Congo or anywhere else."

Graysons:
So how is it Nigerians business?

There are hundreds-of-thousands of Nigerians living in SA, most of whom operate in the informal sector and live hand to mouth.