South Africa gets its first chess grandmaster

Kenny Solomon from Mitchell's Plain has become the first South African to attain the coveted chess title of grandmaster.

GroundUp Staff

Brief | 7 January 2015

No benefit for taxi commuters as petrol price plunges

The petrol price drops today by R1.27 a litre and the diesel price by R1.05 - but this will not mean lower fares for Cape Town’s taxi and bus passengers.

Zintle Tia Swana

News | 7 January 2015

Let’s not focus only on the matric results

A focus on the matric results obscures problems lower down in the education system, writes Wim Louw.

Wim Louw

Opinion | 7 January 2015

Mfuleni youth question Ramaphosa

Lack of jobs for black graduates was among concerns raised by young people in a meeting with deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa in Mfuleni yesterday.

Johnnie Isaac

News | 7 January 2015

ANC: from a heroic tradition to sleaze and crime

The ANC is one of the few political organisations in the world that has existed for over 100 years. It remains powerful electorally and although it received less votes than before in last year's national general election, it could well still be returned as the ruling party for the foreseeable future.

Raymond Suttner

Opinion | 6 January 2015

We need a definition of a living wage

Instead of focusing on percentage increases, wage negotiations should be based on a clear definition of a living wage, write Trenton Elsley and George Mthethwa.

Trenton Elsley and George Mthethwa

Opinion | 6 January 2015

Workers lose out as construction sector expands

The construction sector has grown enormously in the last 20 years, but the old system of cheap labour still prevails, writes Eddie Cottle.

Eddie Cottle

Opinion | 5 January 2015

SJC to move after latest burglary

Social Justice Coalition (SJC) members returned to work today after the holidays to find their offices trashed.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 5 January 2015

Snatched baby back at home

When 38-year old Khayelitsha mother Nomveliso Semsem was told that her 12 day old baby was missing from Groote Schuur hospital's maternity ward, she didn't believe the nurses until the police arrived at her bedside.

GroundUp Staff

News | 5 January 2015

Text of EFF interdict

On 23 December Judge Dennis Davis delivered an oral judgment in the case between the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the speaker of the National Assembly. Here is the text of that judgment.

GroundUp Staff

Brief | 1 January 2015

Need that bullet removed from your arm? Then show us your papers

There’s a bullet lodged in Ali Hussein’s body, somewhere between his right shoulder and neck. It has been there for nearly two months.

Joyce Xi

Feature | 22 December 2014

The silver lining to those dark clouds of global turmoil

As another year draws to a close, the advice usually attributed to the Italian revolutionary, Antonio Gramsci constantly comes to mind: exercise pessimism of the intellect, but optimism of the will. I must admit that it has become a great deal easier over recent months to exercise pessimism of the intellect — and increasingly difficult to exercise optimism of the will to do something about changing things, domestically or globally.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 22 December 2014

Ebola, Lwandle and large fish: 2014 in photos

This was the year after Madiba died. We reported many tragic stories and breaches of human rights. But we also showed moments of happiness, beauty and dignity. Here is some of the best GroundUp photography and reporting of 2014.

GroundUp Staff

News | 22 December 2014

Phumeza’s chance to hear again

A fundraising campaign has sprung up to pay for cochlear implants that would help former drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) patient and current activist Phumeza Tisile regain her hearing.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 19 December 2014

Township residents complain about festive season noise

Some townships residents are fed up with the noise from parties and street bashes that escalate at this time of the year.

Pharie Sefali

News | 19 December 2014

What immigrants do in the holidays when it’s too expensive to travel home

Taurai Mari is from Zimbabwe, but he will be spending the December holidays in Cape Town. He has saved money to visit the city’s tourist destinations.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 19 December 2014