The week in political activism

This week we cover the availability of generic drug-resistant tuberculosis medication in Khayelitsha, a worldwide anti-corruption campaign taken up by Corruption Watch, a parents’ camp hosted by Equal Education, and an upcoming school infrastructure reform conference.

Michelle Korte

News | 3 July 2014

New contraceptive is so popular that stocks are running dry

Such was the demand for a newly-introduced female contraceptive implant that stocks ran dry in the Ilembe district a week before the month's end in April. After stalling for three weeks, the programme restarted when stocks were replenished in the second week of May.

Ruth Atkinson

News | 3 July 2014

Cops say they will take Gun Free South Africa’s concerns seriously

On Tuesday, Gun Free South Africa (GFSA) called upon Minister of Police, Nkosinathi Nhleko, to institute a moratorium on firearm licensing nationwide.

Katy Osborn

News | 3 July 2014

After seven murders in two weeks, Manenberg residents march for peace

About 100 residents marched through the streets of Manenberg today in the hope of putting a stop to the gang violence that has claimed seven lives in two weeks.

Zintle Swana and Thembela Ntongana

Brief | 2 July 2014

Informal vendors unhappy with City’s proposed trading plans

A 38-year-old fruit vendor in the city centre says it is not clear if he will be benefiting from the City of Cape Town’s proposed plan to allocate new trading bays.

Barbara Maregele

News | 2 July 2014

City delays providing toilets to creche

Educators at the Suphemelela Day Care in Khayelitsha where children have been using buckets as toilets, say they are still waiting for flush toilets promised to them by the City of Cape Town more than a month ago.

Barbara Maregele

News | 2 July 2014

I don’t want to go back to the streets, says Sanna

Huddled with her partner Johan in their cardboard and plastic shack behind the Belville market, Sanna Hartnick mixes brandy with Smirnoff Ice. The winter wind whirls and howls but little by little Sanna feels less cold and less stressed.

Shireen Mukadam

News | 2 July 2014

I’m worth twice what I earn, says NUMSA member

Over 4,000 National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (NUMSA) workers stopped working and hit the streets of Cape Town city centre to demand a 12% wage increase effective from today.

Thembela Ntongana and Zintle Swana

Brief | 1 July 2014

Lessons from the platinum strike: the poison of inequality

The timing, duration and intensity of the long strike on the platinum belt were fuelled by a familiar South African problem: persistent and very high inequality.

Gilad Isaacs

Opinion | 1 July 2014

Help! People are breathing here

Breathing air that does not damage health is one of the most important constitutional rights. But some municipalities on the polluted Mpumalanga Highveld are battling to enforce the Air Quality Act, writes Robyn Hugo.

Robyn Hugo

Opinion | 1 July 2014

Boxing ref shows it’s not just for men

Most women don’t go far in boxing, but Zodumo Ndude from Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay did not let that stop her. Today she is a referee and a judge.

Siyabonga Kalipa

News | 1 July 2014

Mother of four battles to survive

HIV-positive Zuziwe* from Nyanga is worried about how she is going to survive this winter because she says she doesn’t have enough food or blankets for her children.

Pharie Sefali

News | 1 July 2014

AMCU victory is more than just about the figures: A response to Gilad Isaacs

Gilad Isaacs underestimates the scale of AMCU's victory. His analysis offers an indicator of winner/loser based on contrasting the final settlement with the initial demand and initial offer. But this is arbitrary.

Peter Alexander

Opinion | 30 June 2014

Workers say Metrorail endangers their livelihoods and lives

Every morning at the TCI Apparel factory in Epping, shop steward Mymoena Williams writes down the names of the textile workers who arrive late. In this notebook are entire pages filled with employees being late for the same reason: the trains.

Joy Shan

News | 30 June 2014

The social catastrophe that threatens South Africa

The South African economy is facing a rocky period. But don’t blame the platinum strike or the union or workers involved. That labour dispute was a symptom, not the cause, of problems that had developed outside of the control of the workers.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 30 June 2014

Apartheid’s Nuclear Shame

During apartheid, a nuclear weapons programme at Pelindaba used workers from nearby settlements. Decades have gone by and millions of rands have been spent on investigations, yet questions remain and hundreds of workers who claim to have become ill after exposure to hazardous material are still fighting for compensation.

Mandy de Waal and Jon Pienaar

Feature | 27 June 2014