Government

Constitutionally speaking about the 2014 election

The 2014 election campaign has clearly begun and promises to be long and almost
certainly very bitter. Labour relations — and relations with labour — are likely to be
in the forefront, with Cosatu, as a member of the governing tripartite allliance, in the
thick of it.

Opinion | 27 February 2013

Activists demand direct elections of Members of Parliament

Should citizens be able to choose their MPs? This is the question that was posed by the "My vote counts" campaign yesterday evening at the Central Methodist Church in Greenmarket Square.

Nokubonga Yawa

Brief | 27 February 2013

Early ANC election salvoes backfire

The government has loosed off the first major salvoes of the 2014 election campaign
— and all of them have backfired. That is one labour movement view of three
official announcements over the past ten days.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 13 February 2013

Playing politics while the Boland burns

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille is correct in claiming that there is
political interference in the strikes and recurrent violence in the Boland. And the
DA is as responsible as any other political grouping for being involved in — or
“interfering” — in the ongoing upheaval.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 23 January 2013

SJC hold commission outside Cape High Court in protest against minister’s court application

About 500 people gathered outside the Cape High Court last week Thursday opposing Minister of Police Nathi Mthetwa’s application to stop a Commission of Inquiry into policing in Khayelitsha from continuing.

Mary-Jane Matsolo

Brief | 19 December 2012

An alternative to more chaos and destruction?

The promises and the policies, the personalities elected, even the potential political
punch-ups at Mangaung are basically irrelevant.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 19 December 2012

Ridiculous complexity of housing in South Africa

Millions of South Africans at the end of apartheid dreamed of living in a house one day. This was the hope offered by the Reconstruction and Development Programme. Eighteen years later there has been progress. The Department of Housing says that over 3 million houses have been built sheltering over 13 million people. But there is a terribly long way to go.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

Feature | 21 November 2012

Showdown over police inquiry

On 22 August, in response to a call made in November 2011 from several social justice organisations, Premier Helen Zille established a Commission of Inquiry to investigate alleged police inefficiency and a breakdown in relations between police and communities in Khayelitsha. The commission is being chaired by former Constitutional Court judge, Kate O'Regan and Advocate Vusi Pikoli.

Tessa Gooding

News | 7 November 2012

It’s still dark in Khayelitsha

Earlier this year, GroundUp published a story on the issue of street lights not working on Lansdowne Road in Khayelitsha.

Nokubonga Yawa

News | 12 September 2012

Five years and still no street lights on N2 Gateway

Delft ward councillor Michael Sandile Toko is in charge of ward 20 which includes Voorbrug, Eindhoven and Delft South. His duties include bringing services and projects provided by the City of Cape Town to the people of these areas.

Mary-Jane Matsolo

News | 12 September 2012

Picking up the pieces left by a corrupt councillor

Umrhabulo Triangle is the name of ward 96 in Makhaza Khayelitsha. Former ward councilor, Thabile Maxon Ludidi, had to step down when he faced corruption charges. Now 34-year old Councillor, Danile Khatshwa, is having to pick up the pieces.

Nokubonga Yawa

News | 12 September 2012

Khayelitsha Councillor: City ignores my community

The councillor for a major ward in Khayelitsha says the city is ignoring the real needs of his community.

Mary-Jane Matsolo

News | 5 September 2012

Athlone councillor finds ways to counter violence and drug use

Some parts of Athlone have serious violence and drug problems. We interviewed the ward councillor for these areas to find out what's being done about it.

Margo Fortune

News | 5 September 2012

Marinovich on Marikana and journalism

GroundUp interviewed investigative journalist Greg Marinovich, who has published shocking findings about the deaths of miners at Marikana.

Mara Kardas-Nelson

News | 4 September 2012

Behind the political posturing and defensiveness are people with genuine unfilled needs

None of the big political parties are showing the kind of leadership that is needed when it comes to housing.

Nathan Geffen

Opinion | 29 August 2012

Service delivery failures: we need leadership not opportunists

I live in a house in Nyanga township in Cape Town. But before 1994 I lived in Nyanga Bush in a tent, then a plastic shack, then a corrugated iron shack.

Vuyiseka Dubula

Opinion | 8 August 2012