King Bhungane III of the Hlubi people, along with private companies in the security industry, handed out food parcels to the elderly in the community of Alexandra in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Police were also present to keep order, more so with regulating the social distancing rule meant to curb the spread of of Covid-19. Some elders who walked with the support of crutches and walking sticks also arrived to receive their food parcels from the king with smiles on their faces.

Joshua Maponga representative of media and culture in the Embo kingdom, which the Hlubi are part of, said that direct interventions like these are intended to assist families that live from hand to mouth and are motivated by the spirit of ubuntu to give.

"We encourage other people to do likewise, to give to the needy. I am making a special call to all indigenous people to pray to the gods to make this pandemic disappear," King Bhungane said.

Gauteng department of social services expressed gratitude to the king's gesture, as it struggles to cope the growing numbers of people requesting food parcels in the midst of the of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The department urged other donors to approach it and will be referred to the central warehouse where the donations are packaged and distributed across the province.