Khayelitsha Development Forum boycotts policing inquiry

The Khayelitsha Development Forum (KDF) says there is no need for the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry into policing.

Pharie Sefali

News | 20 November 2013

Parow soup kitchen offers vital service to hungry and homeless

Louis Titus, a 60-year-old married man from Elsies River, was introduced to the Vineyard soup kitchen in Parow four months ago by a friend. Titus worked for the City of Cape Town for 20 years. He currently receives a R1,500 monthly pension. His wife is unemployed. Titus takes the food he receives home to his four children.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 20 November 2013

Can urban upgrading create safer communities?

The third lecture of this yearā€™s Grootboom Memorial Dialogue Series took place at the Woodstock Town hall last night. Hosted by the Social Justice Coalition (SJC), the dialogue explored the impact of urban design interventions on the safety and security of people living in informal settlements.

Sibusiso Tshabalala

News | 20 November 2013

Poverty and waste - the other side of Grahamstown

On the edge of the university hamlet of Grahamstown, thereā€™s a municipal dump where people discard trash. Itā€™s far enough out of town to not smell the stench ā€“ or for most locals not to be reminded of the haunting plight of the poor who subsist off the waste.

Mandy de Waal

Feature | 20 November 2013

A law journal for the rest of us

All people are affected by the law but few understand it. Lawyers and judges speak and write using complicated language. Nearly any non-lawyer who picks up a law journal would find it dry and unintelligible. Enter the People's Law Journal, a publication that aims to change this.

GroundUp Staff

News | 19 November 2013

How to break the backlog in primary education

Jack Lewis explains how we can quickly make radical improvements to primary school education.

Jack Lewis.

Opinion | 18 November 2013

Time for serious action on road carnage

The road crash massacre on the Moloto Road in Mpumalanga last week provides an horrific portent for the annual festive season slaughter on the highways and byways of South Africa. And the manner in which the deaths of 29 people were reported, being consigned, for the most part, to the inside pages of newspapers, reveals just how accepting the country has become of such carnage.

Terry Bell.

Opinion | 18 November 2013

Where’s Wally? Liberals in the DA

Leaders, former leaders and the main cheerleaders of the Democratic Alliance have publicly debated these last weeks about whether or not the party has betrayed its liberal tradition with its stance on black economic empowerment.

Nathan Geffen

Opinion | 18 November 2013

The Sculptors of Mapungubwe: an extract from Zakes Mda’s latest novel

Zake Mdaā€™s lyrical novel is set in the mists of time, in the Southern African kingdom of Mapungubwe. (Mda has based his story on a wealth of archaeological evidence and research into oral tradition.) It is a tale of the rivalry between the two artistically gifted sons of the royal sculptor; rivalry in love and rivalry for two competing visions of what society should be.

Zakes Mda

News | 18 November 2013

Inquiry into policing in Khayelitsha starts

Yesterday marked the official start of the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of Police Inefficiency in Khayelitsha. It took place at Lookout Hill in the township. Dozens of members of the community, civil society organisations, and the media gathered to witness the first proceedings.

Delphine Pedeboy

News | 14 November 2013

The week in political activism

This week we have reports from WITS Justice Project, SECTION27 and Greenpeace Africa.

Delphine Pedeboy

News | 13 November 2013

Opening of Khayelitsha CoI

News | 13 November 2013

Something fishy

News | 13 November 2013

Lingua Franca poets celebrate first anniversary

On 9 November, Lingua Franca, a spoken word and music movement, celebrated their first anniversary. At a sold out show at the Baxter Theatre, more than 15 poets graced the stage to recite their work.

Nwabisa Pondoyi

News | 13 November 2013

Parents take out loans for matric dances

Parents every year complain about the demands grade 12 learners have for their end of the year matric dances.

Pharie Sefali

News | 13 November 2013

Dozens of unpaid asbestosis claims leave sick workers unsupported for years

Cassiem Mohammed is a 70-year-old retired boiler cleaner from the now-closed Athlone Power Station (APS). He was diagnosed with asbestosis (fibrosis of the lung) in the mid-1990s from exposure to asbestos while he was working at the APS.

Jonathan Dockney

News | 13 November 2013