Farewell to a lovable revolutionary

Sadie Forman (1929-2014) one of the most unconventional, interesting and lovable fighters in the South African anti-apartheid movement, died on the morning of 11 December, aged 85. She spent the last years of her life with her daughter, Sara, in Lewes, in the East Sussex county of England. Her funeral will be held on 23 December.

Terry Bell

News | 19 December 2014

Hope Street carpenter shut down

When it is late at night and Cape Town’s streets are quiet, Mark Philander’s faint hammering at his pavement workshop on Hope Street can still be heard.

Daneel Knoetze

Feature | 18 December 2014

Problems and prejudice face Nigerians in Cape Town

After two months in Cape Town, Oscar (name changed), 40, has decided to go back to Nigeria. Like many of his compatriots, he is tired of the work permit problems and the way Nigerians are treated in South Africa.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 18 December 2014

Time for an economic alternative

The old ideas about economics are not working and we are in an unstable period, where alternative ideas should be considered, tested and grown, writes Sofie Geerts.

Dr Sofie Geerts

Opinion | 18 December 2014

No sign of Zuma’s sanitary towels

In 2011, President Jacob Zuma made promises about the provision of sanitary towels to poor women. Three years later, GroundUp tried to find out whether these promises have been kept.

Pharie Sefali

News | 17 December 2014

Minimum wage debate: the old cheap labour system will get us nowhere

The low wage argument is a red herring, argue Gilad Isaacs and Ben Fine in the latest contribution to the minimum wage debate.

Gilad Isaacs and Ben Fine

Opinion | 17 December 2014

Cape Town congress shows how Rana Plaza offers hope for workers’ rights

Rana Plaza was the deadliest factory disaster in history. On April 23 last year a shoddily built eight-storey building in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, collapsed.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 15 December 2014

R3.30 an hour: De Doorns child labour probed

The Department of Labour is investigating allegations of child labour on a grape and mushroom farm in the Hex Valley, outside De Doorns.

Daneel Knoetze

Feature | 15 December 2014

Empty medicine shelves of Gauteng hospital

Gauteng hospitals are suffering severe medicine stockouts. Here are photos that GroundUp has obtained of the empty shelves of a pharmacy in a Gauteng tertiary hospital. All the medicines shown (or, to be more precise, not shown) are used to treat psychiatric conditions.

GroundUp Staff

News | 12 December 2014

Witness says fire that left over 20 homeless was started by man high on tik

At noon on 10 December more than 20 people were left homeless by a fire at a hostel in Mfuleni.

Pharie Sefali

Brief | 11 December 2014

Don’t touch me on my dreads

Anelisa Sonjola from Khayelitsha says that last week she was mugged. And robbed of her dreadlocks!

Pharie Sefali

News | 11 December 2014

Khayelitsha pastor accused of rape has case to answer, says state

The state said it has completed its investigation on rape allegations against Khayelitsha pastor Dumisani Mathibela, and the pastor has a case to answer.

Johnnie Isaac

Brief | 11 December 2014

Who is behind the airport shoe shine business?

Lere Mosieane Mgayiya dreamt of being a pilot. But when that didn’t work out he started the shoe shining business that you find in every major South African airport.

Zintle Swana

News | 11 December 2014

Know Your Constitution: a challenge to students

This is a challenge to young people, and to law students in particular, to think about how we can use the law to effect change: we have a Constitution now, but what are we going to do with it?

Rachel Mazower and Isabeau Steytler

Opinion | 10 December 2014

Parow’s block of flats from hell

Immigrants who live in Goodman Close and Le Ruth Close at 194 Voortrekker Road Parow are fed up with the awful conditions they live in.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 10 December 2014

UCT responds on minimum wage

UCT's Deputy Vice-Chancellor responds to the article by Budlender and Lorenzen that criticised UCT's policy for next year on minimum wages.

Francis Petersen

Opinion | 10 December 2014