Police: the facts behind the Commissioner’s “good story”

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Policing should ask police management some tough questions, writes Zackie Achmat in the second in a series of articles on policing.

Zackie Achmat

Opinion | 24 October 2014

Residents march for essential services

The City of Cape Town has been given 14 working days to respond to a memorandum of demands from the residents of Marikana, Rolihlahla Park and Klipfontein informal settlements.

Johnnie Isaac

News | 24 October 2014

Joe Slovo housing spat continues

Joe Slovo residents have accused Human Settlements MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela of changing the criteria for housing allocation at the last minute in order to deny them access to new houses. But Madikizela says even “approved” subsidy beneficiaries should not expect automatic allocation of houses.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 23 October 2014

Liebenberg’s argument is a straw man

The City is not opposed to social audits, but takes issue with the way the SJC carried out its audit, writes Counsellor Ernest Sonnenberg in response to Professor Sandra Liebenberg.

Ernest Sonnenberg

Opinion | 23 October 2014

Khayelitsha’s young BMXers off to the championships

Four of Khayelitsha’s finest up and coming BMXers have been hard at work on the track for the past two weeks preparing for the South African championships this weekend in Durban.

Siyabonga Kalipa

News | 23 October 2014

Police: Parliament must ask tough questions

It’s annual report season in Parliament, and the new Portfolio Committee on Police is finding its feet. In the first in a series of articles, Zackie Achmat has some suggestions for the committee.

Zackie Achmat

Opinion | 23 October 2014

Joe Slovo residents “too young” for houses

Residents of Joe Slovo informal settlement, Langa, have been left homeless after they started demolishing their shacks under the impression that keys to new housing units would be handed over to them. The MEC for Human Settlements, Bonginkosi Madikizela, has said that the shack demolitions were premature and that many of the beneficiaries are “too young” to be prioritised for housing.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 23 October 2014

Social audits and the right to sanitation

Social audits are a valuable tool in implementing socio-economic rights, which is why the response by the City of Cape Town to the social audit of janitorial services in Khayelitsha is disturbing, writes Sandra Liebenberg.

Sandra Liebenberg

Opinion | 22 October 2014

Mfuleni backyarders clash over land

A piece of land in Bardale was the site of clashes at the weekend when two groups of backyard dwellers from Mfuleni confronted each other.

Johnnie Isaac

News | 21 October 2014

Police’s Firearms Registry contract probed by Hawks

After paying R340 million for a Firearms Control System that was not delivered, the SA Police Service has cancelled its contract with IT company Waymark Infotech. The botched contract is subject to a criminal investigation by the Hawks.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 21 October 2014

Ebola: Journey to a quarantined village

In her latest article from the frontline of the Ebola epidemic, Kathryn Stinson ​looks for answers in a quarantined village in Sierra Leone.

Kathryn Stinson

Opinion | 21 October 2014

A tribute to Gerald Kraak

Gerald Kraak (1956-2014), who was responsible for organising funding for many leading civil society organisations, died of cancer on Sunday night. Zackie Achmat pays tribute to his old friend.

Zackie Achmat

News | 21 October 2014

Lwandle residents to SANRAL: where are our possessions?

Lwandle residents who have been rehoused after being evicted from SA National Roads Agency land in June complain that their possessions have been lost or damaged.

Pharie Sefali

News | 21 October 2014

Getting health care to sex workers in Cape Town

Leigh Davids was born a boy, but when she was five, she realised she wanted to be a girl.

Katy Scott and GroundUp Staff

News | 20 October 2014

Tackling rape in Khayelitsha

Between two and three rapes are reported every day to a single centre in Khayelitsha. And the numbers will probably rise at the end of the year.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 20 October 2014

Week in activism

This week we look at Greenpeace’s call on government to make Eskom comply with pollution laws, a report prepared for Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Basic Education and a call for the Department of Home Affairs to recognise transgender rights.

Thembela Ntongana

News | 17 October 2014