Farmers strike back against insurgent farmworker movement

Cancellation of a planned march by the farmworkers coalition against alleged intimidation by farmers has led to claims that the City of Cape Town is complicit in undermining the new R105 minimum wage.

Benjamin Fogel and Jeanne Hefez

News | 6 March 2013

The Marine Pilot

GroundUp spent an evening in the harbour with Xoliswa Bekiswa as she takes us through the challenges of her exciting job as one of only a few female Marine Pilots in South Africa.

Buchule Putini

News | 6 March 2013

Stand up and be counted

GroundUp interviewed Justin Peters, Cape Town Pride Brand Ambassador and PR Director on the Cape Town Pride Event which happened on Saturday March 2, 2013.

Nokubonga Yawa

News | 6 March 2013

Housing development destroyed my business

Andiswa (not her real name) has been a resident of Khayelitsha Site C for 27 years. She turned her township home into a BnB business in 2006 offering tourists the exclusive and unique option of experiencing life in a shack. This all came to a screeching halt in April 2009 when her house was destroyed by BKS employees.

Mary-Jane Matsolo

News | 6 March 2013

The grant that changed my life

South Africa's social grant system is sometimes criticised as financially unsustainable and fueling dependency, but people such as Maureen Philander from Delft provide an example of how social assistance can transform lives. She shares her story with us.

Maureen Philander

Opinion | 6 March 2013

The marine pilot

News | 6 March 2013

Hunters FC player’s big dreams

GroundUp spoke to Hunters FC striker Ipeleng Seepamore about how he keeps his mind and body in form to play.

Margo Fortune

News | 6 March 2013

Mud Schools: a decade of lying to children

Angie Motshekga is in an ebullient mood. On Tuesday at Parliament she told the media that South African education is on an upward trajectory, characterized by focus, consistency and clarity. Fine. Nothing wrong with a bit of positive thinking.

Doron Isaacs

Opinion | 5 March 2013

Gangs, a brotherhood-in-arms

Youth gangs have become a normal occurrence in Khayelitsha.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 27 February 2013

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

New police leader in Delft gives community hope

Police and community members are discussing measures to curb violence in Rosendal Delft.

Janine Fortuin

News | 27 February 2013

“I am not a woman abuser. I just have a short temper!”

Cynthia is beaten up frequently by her husband. She is 34 and has been married for eight years. She lives in Khayelitsha with her husband.

Mary-Jane Matsolo

News | 27 February 2013

Khayelitsha kid living his dream in Belgium

Twenty-year-old Ayanda Patosi from Khayelitsha is playing left and right wing for Sporting Lokoren in Belgium.

Margo Fortune

News | 27 February 2013

How to organise support for mental health in places where there is none

For many South Africans living in rural communities and urban townships, counselling and support for mental illness and distress is unavailable. Information and resources on mental health, including depression, anxiety and suicidal tendency, is difficult to access.

Fergus Turner

News | 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

So you want a gun?

Do you want to buy a firearm for protection? Many people do because of the high rate of violent crime in South Africa. But is it sensible? Will a gun make you more secure or will it put you and your loved ones in greater danger?

Nathan Geffen

Opinion | 27 February 2013