The corona virus pandemic has hit everyone in the world very hard not just in terms of the health aspect but also in financial terms as the world economy has literally grinded to a halt.

In South Africa the government decided to implement a 21 day lock down to try and curb the spread of the virus, this has meant that all non-essential workers must stay at home. This has put the already vulnerable foreign nationals living in South Africa in an untenable position as their employers have decided to take advantage of them and not pay them during this lock down.

The ones in the country legally and are registered by their employers will have some assistance as they will be able to claim from the Unemployment Insurance Fund but for the thousands if not millions who are not registered or are self employed it is going to be a bleak next couple of weeks.

The government of South Africa is to be commended for the food parcels it has been distributing during this lock down however for foreign nationals who are here legally and are tax payers the criteria the government has used to distribute these food parcels seems quite unfair.

The food parcels are given to you when you bring your valid South African identity document which emphatically excludes all foreigners. So basically these taxpayers are being excluded from benefitting from their taxes which they pay dutifully each and every year in this time of dire need.