I Was Asked to Clean the Hospital Floor While Bl++ding After Childbirth Because I Was a Foreigner— Nigerian Woman Recounts 11 Years of Tra¥ma in South Africa

A Nigerian woman has shared her p@inful experience after returning home through a Federal Government-assisted repatriation programme, describing her family’s 11 years in South Africa as years of tra¥ma due to living without legal permits.

According to her, both she and her husband struggled to find stable jobs because they lacked residence permits, leaving the family to endure years of hardship. She also mentioned that foreigners were often denied proper healthcare and subjected to discrimination.

Recalling one of her most tra¥matic experiences, she said that after giving birth to her first daughter in South Africa, she was “asked to clean the hospital floor” while she was still bl++ding because a nurse realized she was not South African after speaking to her in a local language.

She said, “The moment she noticed I couldn’t respond, she knew I was a foreigner. She started telling me to clean the floor. Can you imagine that tra¥ma? That psychological trauma that I’m not wanted here, that I’m being treated as if I’m not human just because I’m not a South African.”

The woman added that her children also experienced discrimination in school, claiming they were sometimes denied awards because they were foreigners. She said they would return home in tears, asking, “Mom, is it because we are not South Africans that they are r+bbing us?”

Despite the p@inful experiences, she expressed gratitude for safely returning to Nigeria with her family. She thanked the Nigerian government and everyone involved in facilitating their return, saying, “I want to thank the Nigerian government and everyone involved in this. This is a great opportunity, and I thank God that my family and I made use of it. God bless them.”

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