Lockdown regulations imposed by the South African government since March 26th in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, have had a devastating impact on African migrants living in the country.
Many who are self-employed have had to close shop. This has left them without an income, food and some are on the brink of losing their homes.
Foreign nationals living in Kimberley say there is very little to celebrate this Africa Day.
Anthony Chemezie and his fellow Africans are making their living by selling hair products, and have a hair salon and a nail bar. But due to the lockdown, all their streams of income have dried up, and they are now battling to make ends meet.
“At home in Lesotho it’s just difficult. I am a breadwinner. I provide for my aged mother and another child at home. We plead – if there’s anything that can be done for us – to be assisted with anything.”
It’s almost two months without any income. To keep sane, Chemezie says he has turned to prayer and meditation. This year, unlike the past few years, he will not celebrate Africa Day.
“Unfortunately, this time we will not be able to do that because we are sitting at home. Even the business is not operating. So, we are just stuck at home. So, it’s very painful to us, but we cannot do much because that’s the situation we find ourselves in,” says Chemezie.
On the other side of town, there is Nana Kabungo from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Kabungo, who is also a salon owner, says she is selling face masks to survive. But she says it’s a slow business.
“It’s really painful for us. We don’t know how we must do because now we don’t have food and the SA government is not helping us. One of the ladies from my country in the location applied for food. The councillor told her, ‘you are a foreigner’ and was told this food is not for foreigners. (If we are) not South Africans, now (do) you mean we must die?”
Most of the foreign nationals in Kimberley are either hairdressers or restaurant owners. They might have to wait for Level 1 before they can return to business. With no financial support from government or any sector, they have to continue to lean on each other for survival.
Foreign nationals living in Kimberley say there is very little to celebrate this African Day:
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