Economy

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

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

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

Moving up in Joe Slovo

Approved Joe Slovo housing beneficiaries, who were deemed to be “too young” by government to receive houses in October, this week moved into their new units at the N2 Gateway development. Other families, who remain behind in the informal settlement, and who are now being moved to make space for the next phase of the housing development, remain unhappy.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 5 December 2014

Bapo ba Mogale community loses out in Lonmin deal

It has taken Lonmin Plc a decade to cut the Bapo ba Mogale community a 3.3% slice of the company that mines platinum on its land. In the same period, Lonmin has served up an ownership share more than five times bigger to Shanduka Resources – a black empowerment
company founded by ANC stalwart Cyril Ramaphosa – and sauced it with a series of loans and dispensations to keep it fresh.

Brendan Boyle

News | 4 December 2014

Lonmin investor rapped over the knuckles

The powerful International Finance Corporation has been sharply rapped over the knuckles in an ombudsman’s report on its US $50 million investment in Lonmin.

Alide Dasnois

News | 3 December 2014

Donors respond generously to GroundUp article on sanitary pads

In November, GroundUp published an article on learners using socks and all manner of items as sanitary pads. Donations have been streaming in to the GroundUp offices ever since. These will be distributed to schools.

GroundUp staff

Brief | 2 December 2014

What is at issue in the minimum wage debate?

Wages should be regulated, but minimum wages should be set at levels that do not destroy jobs, write Jeremy Seekings and Nicoli Nattrass.

Jeremy Seekings and Nicoli Nattrass

Opinion | 27 November 2014

R1 an hour is not enough, says domestic workers’ union

The increase in minimum wages for domestic workers of R1 an hour is not enough, says Myrtle Witbooi, general secretary of the South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union (SADSAWU).

Thembela Ntongana

News | 26 November 2014

Running a vegetable shop from a wheelchair

Lulamile Witbooi lost his legs in a train accident in 1991. Today he runs the “Corner Market”, a thriving fruit and vegetable shop in Zwezwe, Khayelitsha.

Joyce Xi

News | 26 November 2014

The long wait for a trading permit

At least 40 Zimbabwean informal traders fear they may lose their livelihoods after delays in getting informal trading permits from Fezeka City Council offices in Gugulethu.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 25 November 2014

Amidst acrimony, Somerset West soup kitchen to be replaced by transport hub

The Helderberg Street People’s Centre (HSPC), a soup kitchen for the poor in Somerset West, has been given notice by the City to quit its premises by 31 January 2015.

Katy Scott

News | 24 November 2014

Link between poor housing, traffic deaths and education outcomes

The 7th annual Irene Grootboom Memorial Dialogues, which explore the continuation of Cape Town’s “spatial apartheid”, are underway. On Tuesday night, the focus was on the spate of shack evictions around the city this year, and the correlation between poor, densely populated areas and traffic deaths and education outcomes.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 19 November 2014

We know how to bear hardships, says Chinese trader in Khayelitsha

Next to a small fruit stand and across the street from a hodgepodge of street vendors, Cuiyi Lin sits in front of her furniture store every day waiting for customers. She is the only non-African in the area.

Joyce Xi

Feature | 19 November 2014

Making a go of graphics in Gugulethu

Bheki Kunene started his own business, Mind Trix Media, in 2009 with just R600 and a computer. Today he has eight employees and clients across the globe.

Siyabonga Kalipa

News | 18 November 2014

Small Claims court opens its doors in Khayelitsha

The Khayelitsha Community has been urged to use the small claims court to resolve financial disputes for amounts of up to R15,000. The court was relaunched on Friday. It was established in 2010, but never functioned.

Johnnie Isaac

News | 17 November 2014