Human Rights

Gay and not free in South Africa

A gay man from the DRC claims the Congolese community in South Africa will not rest until they kill him. Junior Miteo Kalonji, 34, wept hard as he talked about his life. GroundUp had to stop the interview three times when he broke down.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 19 August 2014

Marikana massacre remembered in city centre

About 50 members of several social movements marched on Parliament and the Cape Town police station today in memory of the 34 miners killed by police at Marikana two years ago.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 15 August 2014

Ehrenreich’s Facebook post “idiotic and against the traditions of Cosatu”

An eye for an eye and the whole world would be blind, the Mahatma famously said.

Brent Meersman

Opinion | 14 August 2014

Philippi eviction: Sheriff contradicts City’s JP Smith

The City of Cape Town's version of the evictions in Philippi East on 11 August has been contradicted by police and the SA Board of Sheriffs. The Board denies that any of its officials were involved in dozens of shack demolitions off Symphony Way in Philippi. The evictions were carried out by the City's Law Enforcement, police say.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 12 August 2014

Massive Cape Town march in solidarity with Gaza

Tens of thousands of people marched through Cape Town city centre this morning in solidarity with the people of Gaza, and opposing Israeli military action.

GroundUp Staff

News | 9 August 2014

Massive Cape Town march in solidarity with Gaza

Tens of thousands of people marched through Cape Town city centre this morning in solidarity with the people of Gaza, and opposing Israeli military action.

GroundUp Staff

News | 9 August 2014

Expropriate the suburbs, say activists

Tracts of private suburban land will have to be expropriated by the state at below market value if spatial apartheid in South African cities is to be reversed. The property clause in the Constitution can be interpreted in a revolutionary manner to allow for this. Expropriated land, subsidised by existing government property, should be used to provide housing for shackdwellers from the city fringe, so that informal settlements can be less dense and upgraded. These were the concluding opinions in a roundtable discussion on the Urban Land Question in the Cape Town CBD on 7 August.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 8 August 2014

SA shackdwellers protest against evictions in Austria

On 6 August, shackdweller movement Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) marched on the the Austrian honourary consul in Durban to protest the eviction of squatting “comrades” under way in Vienna. This, in reciprocation of months of solidarity and support from people and organisations based in Europe and the United States for AbM.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 6 August 2014

Rwandans remain divided - even in South Africa

20 years after the Rwandan genocide, the political intrigues and legal ambiguities of its aftermath are still being played out in South Africa among the expat community. Requests from Kigali for the extradition of several Rwandans living in South Africa heightened diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

Lara Sokoloff

News | 5 August 2014

Dumping on the poor in Siqalo

Rubble dumping on the fringe of Siqalo informal settlement has forced hundreds of shackdwellers to evacuate their homes. Boulders have rolled into shacks; dumping has prevented winter rains from draining, leaving dozens of households flooded and abandoned. Yet the dumping carries on unchecked.

Daneel Knoetze

Feature | 5 August 2014

Evicted student: All I could save was my backpack and ID

The only things college student Sisanda Mbayi could save before her shack was demolished last month were her backpack and ID, the ministerial inquiry into the Nomzamo (Lwandle) evictions heard yesterday.

Barbara Maregele

News | 1 August 2014

Evicted resident breaks down at Lwandle inquiry

Xoliswa Masakala broke into tears at the ministerial inquiry into the Lwandle evictions today as she was asked to comment on two pictures of herself which were published in the media. In one of the pictures, she is seen with her breasts and upper body completely exposed and the rest of her clothes appear torn.

Barbara Maregele

News | 29 July 2014

Long walk to education

Ambition without education is like a boat on dry land. Many young learners in Nqutu, KwaZulu Natal know this well. To make sure they realize their dreams everyday they walk for hours to receive an education that may help them have a brighter future.

Sandile Ndlovu

Opinion | 29 July 2014

Magistrate says charges stand against sanitation activists

The trial of 21 Social Justice Coalition (SJC) members continued in the Cape Town Magistrates' Court today. The group are charged with unlawfully attending and convening a protest in September last year.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 24 July 2014

Fleeced! How Ellerines and African Bank misled a customer into debt

“Making Life Easier For You” is Ellerines’ promise to customers. But the high-profile furniture outlet has made life anything but easy for Patricia Qwase.

Michelle Korte

News | 24 July 2014

Cape Town’s protest permit system not supported by law, says City employee

The City of Cape Town's policy that requires groups, marchers and protesters to apply for a gathering permit is not supported by law. This was a concession made by one of the City's own officials, Noel da Silva, who is employed to consider such applications and to grant permits.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 23 July 2014