Barcelona residents angered by piles of rubbish

Rubbish is piling up in front of people’s homes in Barcelona informal settlement near Gugulethu and the airport in Cape Town. Residents showed their displeasure this morning by dumping rubbish on the N2.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 2 September 2015

Jobs more important than smells, say Hangberg residents

The proposed closure of Oceana’s Hout Bay Fishmeal and Fish Oil Facility is worrying people of Hangberg, where many employees live.

Ashleigh Furlong

Feature | 2 September 2015

Refugee amendment bill is a mistake

The phrasing of the Refugee Amendment Bill calls into question the commitment of the Department of Home Affairs to uphold its obligations under the UN Refugee Convention, write Aleck Kuhudzai and Deborah Won of the Agency for Refugee Education, Skills Training and Advocacy (ARESTA).

Aleck Kuhudzai and Deborah Won

Opinion | 2 September 2015

Church group assists overcrowded city shelter

It's 7:30 on Monday evening and the Youth Solutions Africa shelter for the homeless in Salt River is abuzz.

Barbara Maregele

News | 2 September 2015

Langa residents and police clash over houses

People who live in shacks and backyards burnt tyres and rubbish earlier today in Langa. They alleged that other people have jumped the waiting list for units in a new block of flats, leaving them without homes.

Masixole Feni and GroundUp Staff

Brief | 1 September 2015

City must re-serve eviction notice to Khayelitsha residents

Western Cape High Court Judge Babalwa Mantame has instructed the City of Cape Town to “re-serve” the eviction order granted against Newcastle Informal Settlement residents.

Barbara Maregele

Brief | 1 September 2015

Minister’s promise to review Zimbabwean permits welcomed

The promise by Home Affairs minister Malusi Gigaba that rejected applications for Zimbabwean Special Permits are to be reviewed has been welcomed.

Bernard Chiguvare

Brief | 1 September 2015

Rhodes Must Fall, UCT, Lonmin and pension funds

As it started, by targeting the legacy of one dead white male, the Rhodes Must Fall campaign claimed morality. As it progresses, by targeting the activity of two living white males, the rump of campaigners cannot claim credibility. Members of a university as distinguished as UCT might have been expected to prefer substance over sloganeering.

Allan Greenblo

Opinion | 1 September 2015

At what level should a national minimum wage be set?

The struggle for a national minimum wage in South Africa has a long history, having been waged, largely by organised worker formations, since the 1930s. These efforts have taken various forms, from open class conflict to more subdued trade union representations to the various governments of the day.

Eddie Cottle

Opinion | 31 August 2015

A tale of two houses

A few kilometres away from five newly built houses, 46 year old Thokozani Zondi lives in a wooden house in Nhlazatshe in Pietermaritzburg and shares a pit toilet with neighbours.

Ntombi Mbomvu

News | 31 August 2015

Who is to blame for the medicines backlog?

The Medicines Control Council has for many years been severely criticised for the exceptionally long time it takes to register a medicine. It is not unusual for a medicine to become available in Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States years ahead of its appearance in South Africa.

Henry M. J. Leng and David Sanders

Analysis | 31 August 2015

What solution to a world in crisis?

Oh, when will they ever learn? It’s the last line in every stanza of a famous Pete Seeger anti-war song. And it is wholly appropriate this week as we digest the latest GDP figures against a background of ongoing crises especially in the steel, mining and manufacturing sectors. Along with, of course, the continuing collapse of the rand.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 31 August 2015

Coalition launched to decriminalise sex work

In the wake of Amnesty International’s vote to adopt a policy that supports sex work decriminalisation, the Asijiki Coalition for the Decriminalisation of Sex Work was launched in Cape Town on 27 August. The coalition consists of sex workers, activists, advocates and defenders of human rights.

Ashleigh Furlong

News | 28 August 2015

Making a living from pap

Ketayi Madzokere, 34, affectionately known as Mai Mutsa by Zimbabweans and her customers, is a soft spoken but determined business woman.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 28 August 2015

Parents claim victory in battle over Dunoon school

Dunoon parents and representatives of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) reached an agreement on Thursday after weeks of argument over the use of mobile classrooms next to the Sophakama Primary School.

Pharie Sefali

News | 28 August 2015

Mothers march for quality care

Several hundred mothers, pregnant women, men and activists marched to the provincial legislature and parliament on Thursday to highlight problems accessing quality maternal and obstetric care in the Western Cape.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 27 August 2015