State criminalising protest and dissent and other stories

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Criminalising protest and dissent

A new report by SERI profiles a community protest in Lenasia, Gauteng, and concludes that the criminal justice system was “abused” in order to intimidate activists and protesters. A look at similar cases in Cape Town seem to support this finding.

Daneel Knoetze

17-year-old who tried to make a difference shot and killed in Manenberg

Galiema Kenny broke down as she recalled her son\xe2\x80\x99s last words to her after he was shot by gangsters in Manenberg. Kenny laid her 17-year-old son, Yusriy Kenny, to rest on Tuesday afternoon.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

Heideveld residents march against recent gang violence

More than one hundred residents, along with various religious groups, marched on Saturday, winding their way through the streets of Heideveld to protest against the increase in gang turf wars and the drug trade in the area.

Barbara Maregele

New immigration laws here to stay - minister

On Tuesday at a media briefing in Cape Town on the implementation of the new immigration regulations, Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba announced that the regulations will stay despite them having created much anxiety.

Tariro Washinyira and Thembela Ntongana

Reports

The rise of female township gangs

When people think of gangs in the townships of Cape Town, they mostly picture young boys and men — the Vato, Vura, Hardlivings, Palestinians and such. But there are also female gangs, rarely noticed, because they act differently from the male gangs. GroundUp went to talk to some of the \xe2\x80\x9cbabes\xe2\x80\x9d.

Pharie Sefali

Allegations around public works programme spark protests in desperate Free State dorp

Arrive in Smithfield from any direction and the first official board one sees announces: \xe2\x80\x98Mohokare declares war on waste\xe2\x80\x99. The chief weapon in that war is a platoon of temporary workers hired under government\xe2\x80\x99s Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) administered by local municipalities.

Carmel Rickard

Mpumalanga crisis: why is nobody listening?

A desperate battle is raging across vast tracts of Mpumalanga between coal mining on the one hand and water preservation, food security and tourism on the other, writes Tracey Davies of the Centre for Environmental Rights.

Tracey Davies

Bullying still rife in schools, finds survey

A survey started in 2011 by the Quaker Peace Centre covering 102 learners has found that 95% of respondents were bullied at some point; of these 50% were bullied at school. The centre is ramping up its anti-bullying campaign.

Pharie Sefali

Waiting for hours in tax queues

Filing income tax manually at a South African Revenue Service (SARS) branch can be a day\xe2\x80\x99s mission, involving hours of travel and standing in a queue.

Johnnie Isaac, Joyce Xi and Thembela Ntongana

Khayelitsha cleaners fed up with not getting paid on time

Every month since January, Khayelitsha\xe2\x80\x99s refuse collectors and street cleaners in QA and PJS Section go in large groups to camp outside the supervisor\xe2\x80\x99s office so they can get what is due to them.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

Kasrils strikes back at Maphatsoe

Former South African intelligence services minister and Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) veteran Ronnie Kasrils has launched a scathing attack on deputy defence minister Kebby Maphatsoe.

Terry Bell

Surviving Rivonia Trialists hold dialogue with school learners

Learners from a number of schools in Cape Town had the opportunity to meet surviving Rivonia trialists when a replica of Nelson Mandela\xe2\x80\x99s prison cell on Robben Island was launched to tour the country.

Johnnie Isaac

Brief

Global to local: the people\xe2\x80\x99s rights to peace

United Nations Association of South Africa (UNASA) will hold a Peace Day Event at the Gugulethu Sports Complex on Friday from 9am to 12pm.

Thembela Ntongana

Health

Celebrate Global Female Condom Day

As we celebrate the second Global Female Condom Day on 16 September 2014, I join the celebrations with a wide smile and confidence, writes Nokhwezi Hoboyi.

Nokhwezi Hoboyi

Photo story

Will I make money today? Waiting for work at the side of the road

Peter Ndala earns his his living by doing odd jobs. He does gardening, maintenance work on sewage pipes, paving, woodwork and farm work. Everyday he waits at the roadside hoping he'll be hired for a day or more by anyone looking for casual labour.

Masixole Feni and Johnnie Isaac

Opinion

Fighting for decent toilets in Gauteng schools

On 13 September Equal Education marched in Johannesburg for decent school sanitation in Gauteng. Brad Brockman, the organisation's General Secretary, explains the campaign.

Brad Brockman

People with HIV should be able to fight for their country

There is no reason people with HIV shouldn't be soldiers, says Tim Flack, who served in the navy and is the Western Cape representative for the South African National Defence Force Union.

Tim Flack

Political abuse & arrogant dogma

Deputy defence minister Kebby Maphatsoe this week withdrew his claim that public protector Thuli Madonsela was a \xe2\x80\x9cCIA spy\xe2\x80\x9d and apologised for the statement. But the issue continues to reverberate throughout the body politic.

Terry Bell

Sport

Mfuleni Boxing Academy undaunted

The Mfuleni Boxing Academy opened its doors to boxers from the area in 2010. In most townships, the reason community members open up sports clubs is to try and get the youth off the streets and away from gangsterism and substance abuse. Mfuleni is no exception.

Siyabonga Kalipa

Soccer: Protest disrupts Safa Cape Town Coca Cola Cup

At the semi-finals of the woman\xe2\x80\x99s leg of the Safa Cape Town Coca Cola Cup, the Saxon United Ladies team from Heideveld protested on one of the fields where a semi-final match between RV United from Khayelitsha and Phoenix Spurs from Bonteheuwel was about to start.

Siyabonga Kalipa