Massive implications of Cosatu crisis and other stories

20 November 2014 | News

Featured stories

Phiyega reveals delays in firearms system investigation

Police commissioner Riah Phiyega commits to completing the criminal investigation into the botched SAPS Firearms Control System (FCS) by February next year. Yet, the slow pace of the investigation to date is evidenced by several details.

Daneel Knoetze

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

Study shows how HIV+ women can reduce risk to their babies

Pregnant women with HIV can take three anti-HIV medicines instead of one to reduce the risk of their infants contracting the virus, according to results of a study released yesterday.

GroundUp staff

Reports

Urban initiates: are the teachings still relevant?

In many African cultures, boys from age 14 must go through the process of initiation, where they are circumcised in order to be recognized as men by the community. But how relevant is the ceremony for today\xe2\x80\x99s urban youth and are the traditions being upheld in the cities?

Pharie Sefali

Link between poor housing, traffic deaths and education outcomes

The 7th annual Irene Grootboom Memorial Dialogues, which explore the continuation of Cape Town\xe2\x80\x99s \xe2\x80\x9cspatial apartheid\xe2\x80\x9d, 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

Provincial government accuses taxi association of invading routes of legal operators

Following the beating up of a member of the Vrygrond Taxi Association (VTA) earlier this week, GroundUp asked the Western Cape Ministry of Transport and Public Works about its views on the VTA.

Daneel Knoetze

Fines, firings and written warnings thanks to Metrorail delays

While Metrorail guards demand train tickets, poor service leaves many commuters to face the consequences of being late.

Tariro Washinyira and Zintle Swana

Prevention strategies the key to curbing violence against children

\xe2\x80\x9cSouth Africa has no national statistics on violence against children,\xe2\x80\x9d says Shanaaz Mathews, director of the Children's Institute at the University of Cape Town. In the absence of statistics, the South African Child Gauge looks at community-based studies. The 9th issue was launched in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

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

Games that township kids play

Three cans, an old pantihose or rope and a handful of stones. These are the ingredients you need to have a whole day of outdoor fun, no matter what age.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

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

Tokolos collective graffiti bomb Sea Point Ray-Bans

Guerrilla graffiti artist group Tokolos Stencil Collective struck again on Monday night, this time targeting Michael Elion\xe2\x80\x99s controversial giant Ray-Ban sunglasses on Sea Point promenade.

Brent Meersman

Opinion

Massive implications of Cosatu crisis

It is no exaggeration to say that South Africa is in the midst of the most important political development since 1994.

Terry Bell

Farm workers union Csaawu should be saved

Csaawu is facing bankruptcy for supporting farm workers dismissed after the sector\xe2\x80\x99s historic strikes in 2012/13 - arguably the strongest challenge to rural labour exploitation in recent South African history. This is the story of why it is important for the union to be saved.

Daneel Knoetze

Why we should support the new complementary medicines regulations

It has been a year since regulations were published to protect the public from poor quality complementary medicines. The industry\xe2\x80\x99s response has been characterised by obfuscation, denial and blatant contraventions, writes Professor Roy Jobson.

Roy Jobson

Ebola: the difficult return from the front

The health care workers who put their lives at risk to fight Ebola should be honoured, not quarantined, writes Kathryn Stinson, who recently returned from Sierra Leone.

Kathryn Stinson

Arts

Dancing to a better future

Dance is fast becoming a tool used for building confidence and self-expression among kids. Zethu Gqola looks at some of the top township-based dance schools that have for years provided a supportive space for children.

Zethu Gqola