Woolworths has vehemently denied claims it turned away assistance to a charity benefiting white South Africans amid rampant social media rumours, particularly one pedalled by music artist, The Kiffness.
The retailer had been accused of using its BEE policies to enforce “racial discrimination”.
WOOLWORTHS CLEARS UP ‘RACIAL DISCRIMINATION’ RUMOURS, AGAIN
On the X app, user @Cthulhucachoo questioned if there was “evidence” of a rumour that Woolworths had “refused” to assist charities that benefited white South Africans.
The user was referring to a tweet by @r @Saxon_African in April that called out the retailer for declining to donate its edible, surplus food to NGO FoodForward SA, which feeds underprivileged communities.
The X user posted screenshots of the allegation, including one from The Kiffness, who claimed he had “proof that Woolworths stopped giving food to an orphanage that was too white, as it affected their scorecard.”
Replying to the allegations, Woolworths posted on X: “We vehemently denied these allegations when they first surfaced. No proof exists because it is not true”.
‘MISINFORMATION WITH MALICIOUS INTENT’
In April, X user @Saxon_African – who describes herself as a “nationalist” – called out Woolworths over allegations that the retailer had shunned donating its end-of-life food stuff to white South Africans based on their race.
Describing the food donation agreement, the tweep posted: “You have to sign a contract ensuring that it’s not given to white homeless people because of their BEE regulations.
She added, “I don’t believe that it should be just government officials getting sanctioned for this. Larger corporates supporting such racist systems deserve sanctions, too.”
The X user was referring to Woolworths’ agreement with FoodForward SA, a non-profit company that donates its edible surplus food to underprivileged communities.
Image via X: @woolworthssa
Woolworths responded to the claim about the X post: “This account appears to be spreading misinformation with malicious intent.
“They have blocked us from responding to the tweet. But we can categorically state that the below is fake news”.
In a statement, Woolworths added: “Our surplus food is distributed to FoodForward SA, to those who need it most.
Of claims that the redistribution was based on BEE, it added: “While FFSA has operational requirements that beneficiary organisations must meet, none of those are based on race.
“The food we donate has no associated B-BBEE benefits for Woolworths, and we partner with them for the efficient and ethical distribution of food only”.
