News
The week in political activism
This week, we cover the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry, what’s happening in education and the patent wars.
Brent Meersman and GroundUp Staff
News | 22 January 2014
Penumbra: an extract from Songeziwe Mahlangu’s debut novel
Penumbra arose out of Songeziwe Mahlangu’s MA in Creative Writing at Rhodes University. Set in Cape Town, it is the story of a restless young graduate, Mangaliso Zolo, working at an alienating office job for a large corporate insurance company. He suffers from mental illness, most probably schizophrenia, and the reader follows him on the chaotic journey of his mind for several days through the university southern suburbs.
Songeziwe Mahlangu
News | 22 January 2014
Khayelitsha refuse collectors angry at working conditions
Since starting in November, some Khayelitsha refuse collectors say they still haven’t received uniforms or protective gear to wear while doing their jobs. Their employer says it is all lies.
Mary-Anne Gontsana
News | 22 January 2014
SASSA fails to pay grants on time in Gugulethu and Mitchell’s Plain
There is a large backlog in social grant payments at South Africa Social Security Agency (SASSA) branches in Gugulethu and Mitchell's Plain. Beneficiaries who have not received their grants in months are accusing the state agency of incompetence.
Pharie Sefali
News | 22 January 2014
Police detain Zimbabweans for over 15 days
Three Zimbabwean men were detained at Richmond Police Station for over 15 days for being in the country unlawfully. The police were apparently waiting upon Immigration Services of the Department of Home Affairs to deport the men.
Tariro Washinyira
News | 22 January 2014
Understanding the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry
The Commission of Inquiry into policing in Khayelitsha starts today. Here’s a quick and simple guide to it.
Adam Armstrong
News | 21 January 2014
Is SAPS intimidating the Social Justice Coalition?
Is the South African Police Service actively trying to intimidate those who campaigned for the Commission of Inquiry into Policing Khayelitsha? A few suspicious incidents suggest they are.
Adam Armstrong
News | 21 January 2014
Leaked email: companies intended to campaign against government policy
A leaked email shows that a plan for a campaign to scuttle the South African government's draft intellectual property policy was about to proceed, despite a denial by the pharmaceutical industry that it had approved the campaign.
GroundUp Staff
News | 21 January 2014
Sick mine workers neglected - time to compensate them
Far from the bustling streets of downtown Johannesburg, much of it built by the bounty of South Africa’s gold mines, thousands of former mineworkers suffer from painful diseases contracted on the job. These men labour to breathe, their lungs degraded by the occupational diseases of silicosis and tuberculosis.
Ryan Boyko, Seyward Darby, and Rose Goldberg
News | 20 January 2014