Phillipi settlement battle highlights housing problems

On 7 and 8 January, the City of Cape Town’s Anti-Land Invasion Unit demolished more than 40 homes at the Marikana settlement in Philippi East. There has been ongoing conflict between the City and the residents who have settled on this plot of privately owned land just off Symphony Way.

Sibusiso Tshabalala

Feature | 15 January 2014

African Delights: an extract from Siphiwo Mahala’s collection of short stories

Siphiwo Mahala’s short stories have appeared in numerous literary journals and magazines locally and internationally and have been collected together in African Delights (published by the Jacana Literary Foundation). The result is a unique tour of South African life.

Siphiwo Mahala

News | 15 January 2014

Organisation helps matriculants get into university

The South African Education and Environment Project (SAEP) started a bridging year programme in 2003. Young people from township schools are assisted with rewriting matric to improve their chances of getting into university, getting a job or doing other useful work for their communities.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 15 January 2014

Fixing the civil service is vital

Civil servants are failing poor people like Cassiem Mahommed and many others. The decline of our civil service is one of the most important political problems facing South Africa.

GroundUp Editor

News | 14 January 2014

The need for real media transformation

Transformation of the media in South Africa is essential. But we should be very clear about what we mean by such transformation.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 14 January 2014

How to hold local government accountable

The elections this year will be for our provincial and national governments. But it is our local government, our mayors and ward councillors, who are responsible for much of the service delivery that affects our day-to-day lives, such as refuse collection, sanitation and day clinics.

Fergus Turner and GroundUp Staff

News | 14 January 2014

Labour Department fails to follow up on sick workers’ claims

On 13 November 2013, GroundUp reported that Cassiem Mahommed has been waiting for over six years for compensation from the City of Cape Town for asbestosis. The Department of Labour immediately contacted GroundUp after publication and promised to follow up with Mahommed Disturbingly, there has been no progress on the matter.

Jonathan Dockney

News | 14 January 2014

Court orders access to Stellenbosch’s deadly initiation school

Seven boys were admitted to Stellenbosch Hospital on the evenings of 25 and 26 November. Two were dead on arrival. One had sjambok marks on his body. They were about 20 years old. They were the victims of an initiation school.

Jonathan Dockney

News | 9 January 2014

School marked for closure gets it right

Peak View Secondary School in Bridgetown, Athlone was one of 27 schools marked for closure by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). Nearly two years later Peak View's matric results are top in its district.

Sibusiso Tshabalala

News | 8 January 2014