News

The week in political activism - March 19, 2014

This week we cover the NUMSA Day of Action for Youth Jobs and the TAC’s People’s Health Manifesto campaign.

Brent Meersman

News | 19 March 2014

A traumatic revenge: an extract from Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho’s collection of short stories

In the vein of Can Themba’s short stories about Sophiatown, Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho writes about life in the townships today.

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho

News | 19 March 2014

Misunderstood and villainised: the minibus taxi industry’s real issues with MyCiTi

For many Capetonians, minibus taxis are synonymous with survival. Without the taxi fleet, which evolved to fill system-wide gaps in public transport planning and service delivery, many would be stranded. Yet the industry is viewed with contempt by many: a stain on the city, or a problem out of control.

Martin Eichhorn

News | 19 March 2014

SAPS in Harare, Khayelitsha: setup to fail?

Advocate Nazreen Bawa continued to lead evidence today with Colonel Gert Nel, former station commander of Harare police station, and Colonel Tshotleho Raboliba, current station commander at Harare.

Adam Armstrong

News | 18 March 2014

Frustrated residents in Makhaya, Khayelitsha, arrested after taking the law into their own hands

Residents in Makhaya section 23 were arrested at 3am this morning, accused of chasing people out of their homes. While the police were arresting people, two houses in the area were being broken into by criminals.

Pharie Sefali

News | 18 March 2014

Gugulethu youth organisation on a mission to turn church library into public library

Gugulethu based community organisation, Township Youth Movement (TYM), have taken it upon themselves to open a second public library in the township.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 18 March 2014

Ugandan woman abandoned in South Africa by the lover she met on Facebook

A 28-year-old Ugandan woman, Lydia Mutuwa, who came to South Africa hoping to get a job to look after her children and ailing mother, says her life has become even harder than the life she ran away from in her country of birth.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 18 March 2014

City says lights will stay on in Cape Town townships … for now at least

Residents of the Cape Flats, Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and surroundings have experienced power cuts in their areas. Many residents want to know what to expect. GroundUp asked the City.

Pharie Sefali

News | 18 March 2014

DJ Blanka shares his knowledge with aspirant artists

Music producer and DJ Banzi “Blanka” Mazimela was born in Butterworth and grew up in Dutywa with two brothers. He moved to Cape Town in 1993 to further his studies. In the last 20 years, he has worked himself to Head of Music Production at Soul Candi Institute.

Dumisani Dabadini

News | 18 March 2014

High ranking SAPS officers to appear before the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry into policing

Public hearings of the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry into allegations of police inefficiency and a breakdown in relations between the community and the police restarted on 17 March with a number of high ranking SAPS officers in attendance.

Adam Armstrong

News | 18 March 2014

Mthethwa attends politically coloured crime summit in Khayelitsha

Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa was in Khayelitsha on Friday 14 March for a Crime Summit arranged by the Khayelitsha Development Forum (KDF).

Adam Armstrong

News | 17 March 2014

Attitudes to pets have changed significantly in recent years in Khayelitsha

Started by a community member 17 years ago, Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha now treats up to 1,000 animals a month.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 17 March 2014

Struggling Zimbabwean author writes about the challenges of living and dying on the Cape Flats

39-year-old Zimbabwean Milton Jaure, also known as Rasmijah, is struggling to get financial support to publish his book of short stories and produce a documentary focusing on the challenges foreigners face when their loved ones die in South Africa.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 17 March 2014

Religious leaders ask their congregations to do more than pray for an end to gang violence on the Cape Flats

On 14 March, Imam Rashied Omar, chairperson of the Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum (WCRLF), hosted Manenberg community leaders at the Claremont Main Road mosque, where he officiates.

Yazeed Kamaldien

News | 17 March 2014

Bitter background to stalled pay talks

Unless bridges are built between competing sides, legacies of bitterness, hatred and fear, often distorted by prejudice and myth, can persist for decades, even generations. And when there are are fairly recent incidents, especially those involving bloodshed and human loss, feelings, particularly among those who identify as victims, are all the more acute.

Terry Bell

News | 17 March 2014

Rugby: Blue Jets of Khayelitsha play MIT Rangers from Manenberg at Khayelitsha Stadium

With the Western Cape Club rugby season only a few weeks away, some teams are using the time to test their skills. Blue Jets of Khayelitsha hosted the MIT Rangers from Manenberg at Khayelitsha Stadium.

Siyabonga Kalipa

News | 17 March 2014