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24 October 2013 | News

Featured Story - News

Home Affairs continues to defy court order and refuses to serve new asylum seekers

A decision taken in 2012 by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to stop processing new applicants at the Cape Town refugee reception office has resulted in asylum seekers having to travel long distances at great cost to be documented and renew their permits.

Tariro Washinyira

News

Patents must serve the public interest

Opinion: Thousands of people in South Africa have drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). Many of them will die. Death from TB can be slow and horrible. Many of those who do survive will struggle with severe side effects and may need daily pills and injections. Some, like 23-year old Phumeza who described her experience of TB treatment at a Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) press conference last week, will live, but lose their hearing.

Marcus Low

Zambian government case against Kasonkomona unravelling

News: The long-awaited criminal case against Paul Kasonkomona began on 16 and 17 October in the Lusaka Magistrates Court. Witnesses for the prosecution testified during the hearing. According to Anneke Meerkotter of the Southern African Litigation Centre (SALC), the \xe2\x80\x9cevidence led by the State during Kasonkomona\xe2\x80\x99s trial confirms suspicions that the arrest and prosecution of Kasonkomona was politically motivated\xe2\x80\x9d.

Jonathan Dockney

From goalie to coach - Ben Biko gives young soccer players hope

News: Ben Biko, a former goalkeeper, coaches young soccer players in Philippi to professional level.

Nwabisa Pondoyi

Striking parking attendants allege they have not been paid since 2009

News: Rene Mayinga from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is on strike. He claims his employer, Street Parking Solution (SPS), which won a tender in July 2008 from the City of Cape Town to collect parking fees in the CBD, has not been paying him since 2009.

Tariro Washinyira

Copyright, credit, Woolworths and the hummingbird

News: A Twitter storm erupted on 18 October after South African artist Euodia Roets published a blog post titled \xe2\x80\x98How Woolworths Really Operates!\xe2\x80\x99. Roets believes her design of a hummingbird on a cushion was used by Woolworths without the company acknowledging it as her work.

Delphine Pedeboy and GroundUp Editor

Home Affairs employees demand reprimand for boss

News: On 15 October 2013, about 40 Department of Home Affairs (DHA) officials protested outside their Cape Town office.The protest brings to a head several months of clashes between officials and DHA management.

Sibusiso Tshabalala

Rural women demand scrapping of Traditional Courts Bill

Brief: On 15 October, 250 rural women and activists marched to Parliament as part of the activities held worldwide for the International Day for Rural Women.

Sibusiso Tshabalala