Local government
Fire detectors can help to prevent shack fires
Shack fires are an unremitting scourge facing urban townships. In South Africa, between 2000 and 2010, over 230 000 people were made homeless by fires. Growing urban populations together with inadequate services, in particular electricity and water, means urban shack fires will continue to take their toll. There is an urgent need for effective solutions to address the major causes.
Fergus Turner
News | 5 August 2013
Electricity increases make life harder for poor people
With the winter in full effect, people are queuing in petrol stations for paraffin, filling up their gas tanks but most importantly using even more electricity in their homes.
Mary-Anne Gontsana
News | 10 July 2013
Microchip road to real democracy
The advice of the Italian revolutionary, Antonio Gramsci constantly comes to mind these days: exercise pessimism of the intellect, but optimism of the will. I must admit that it has become a great deal easier over recent months to exercise pessimism of the intellect — and increasingly difficult to exercise optimism of the will to do something about changing things, domestically or globally.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 2 July 2013
Sick janitor claims City endangered health
Monica Gotshana, is a single mother of five children from Khayelitsha’s Site B. Today is her last day working as a janitor for the City of Cape Town because her six month contract comes to an end. She talked about her experience working as a toilet cleaner.
Mary-Anne Gontsana
News | 26 June 2013
Heading for the 2014 (E)lection
E-tolling, excrement and expanded public works. Apart from starting with the letter “E” they appear at first sight to have nothing in common. But with the country heading toward what promises to be a bitterly contested election in April or May next year, they are not only linked, they are likely to be major campaigning features.
Terry Bell
Opinion | 24 June 2013
Portable flush toilets: What are they and why the fuss?
The public spats over portable toilets have been at the forefront of the news. But what exactly are portable toilets? How do they work? What is good and what is bad about them?
Mary-Anne Gontsana
News | 12 June 2013
Battle over Barcelona’s Buckets
Residents of Barcelona informal settlement are living a sanitation nightmare. The company contracted to remove the bucket toilets, Sannicare, has been hit by industrial action and no resolution is in sight.
GroundUp Staff with assistance from Tebello Mzamoand Fergus Turner
News | 29 May 2013
How to buy your driver’s license
Attempts to clean up corruption at the Lingelethu West Traffic Station in Khayelitsha appear to be failing. GroundUp went undercover and recorded an offer of a bribe by an outside operator, and also spoke to others who were either asked to pay a bribe or who did bribe their way to being allowed behind the wheel.
GroundUp Staff with assistance of the Cape Times
News | 21 May 2013
Investigate and stop this mundane everyday corruption
Today GroundUp published a story, with the assistance of The Cape Times, of corruption at Lingelethu West Traffic Department in Khayelitsha. We tell how the buying of learner's and driver's licenses is commonplace and show that there is the perception, arguably a reasonable one in some areas, that a bribe is necessary to get a driver's license.
GroundUp Editor
News | 20 May 2013