KNYSNA NEWS - A group of foreign national spaza shop owners have donated 156 food parcels to the needy as a way of giving back to their communities.

This initiative was led by the reverend Nicolas Mfecana and pastor Bart Ngxolwana of the church fraternity in the northern areas, who formed a joint operations committee for the purpose of helping out Knysna's poor in this difficult time during lockdown.

The aim was also to bring these shop owners closer to the communities who keep them in business.

Speaking on their behalf, Ngxolwana said the donors are shop owners with businesses in the northern and Hornlee areas. "As the committee we approached the foreign nationals who have been wanting to plough back into the community they have been working in for a long time. They did the donations at a good time when our people were locked in their own homes and were in need of the food," he said.

"All 156 food parcels were distributed through the municipality system in all nine wards," he said.

Ngxolwana said it was a timely gesture in a country known for xenophobic attacks. "It is our wish that all the foreign nationals can learn from this initiative and follow it. This teaches us to work with what we have and support our communities. I wish the local social businesses can follow the good example and donate to the community," Ngxolwana said.

He said when the lockdown was extended, the first targets of crime would have been the foreign nationals but because they are contributing to their communities, nothing is happening to them. "This is about building a relationship between the community and the foreign shop owners," he said.

Knysna deputy mayor Aubrey Tsengwa commended them for the effort and said the donations bring a welcome relief to poor families in Knysna.

Foreign nationals donated food parcels to poor communities in Knysna. Photo: Tembile Sgqolana

Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Group Editors (publications and online platforms) is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.

'We bring you the latest Knysna, Garden Route news'