Hi bigbear as an ex South African I feel your frustration. There will always be honest and dishonest people out there. There are so many different angles to cover/think about when dealing with such situations. Okay so the guy has thousands in his bank account and he could well be a professional beggar but a few thousand doesn't go very far in South Africa. We are all guilty of making assumptions about others. Maybe he is saving up for something important or in case of an emergency. At least he is responsible by having a bank account. I'm sure begging must be a sole destroying thing to do. Maybe just give what you can afford to make yourself feel better and forget about the rest. I know it is tough to do. Maybe tactfully ask him a question regarding you witnessing him banking quite a bit of money and see his reaction. If he is rude about it then stop helping him. Maybe he will give you a perfectly logical explanation which will be to your liking. As far as the fool who claimed to be hungry but just wanted money he made your choice easy which made you decision easier. Fortunately here in Europe the situation is far simpler than in South Africa. Handouts are here a plenty so I refuse to give to those who are too lazy to budget. I do however give to a select few as I am fortunate to have extra to give. I will rather however give direct than to some charities who I feel are dodgy organizations who support themselves first and then give the leftovers to the those who require support. I will be upvoting your post shortly bigbear.
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