News

City project, VPUU, criticises SAPS

The SA Police Service is one of the least approachable of the partners working with the Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU) service in Khayelitsha, the commission into Khayelitsha policing heard this week.

Adam Armstrong

News | 13 February 2014

Red tape blocks Khayelitsha small businesses

Entrepreneurs from two successful businesses in Khayelitsha are frustrated with the red tape that is blocking their businesses from growing.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 12 February 2014

State of the Nation

News | 12 February 2014

Gugs dance school gives children self-worth

Self-discipline and self-worth: Zama Dance school instils these much-needed values in children in Gugulethu.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 12 February 2014

Khayelitsha gangs can get worse warns researcher

Dr Kelly Gillespie, a social anthropology researcher based at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS), warned the Khayelitsha commission of inquiry into policing that the township’s gangs can change into something worse.

Adam Armstrong

News | 12 February 2014

Retired police officers slam Khayelitsha station management

Detectives at Khayelitsha police stations are expected to deal with far too many cases at a time, two retired police officers have told the Khayelitsha commission of inquiry.

Adam Armstrong

News | 11 February 2014

Running and other stories: an extract from Makhosazana Xaba’s collection

Makhosazana Xaba’s poetry has been translated into Mandarin and Italian and published in China and Italy. Her first critically acclaimed story, Running, won the Deon Hofmeyr Award for Creative Writing in 2005.

Makhosazana Xaba

News | 11 February 2014

We should write for our readers, not the owner ““ an interview with Ann Crotty

Seasoned financial journalist Ann Crotty has resigned from the Independent Group’s financial daily, the Business Report , after 18 years at the paper. Crotty, the author of award-winning work on executive pay and other issues, spoke to GroundUp about her resignation from Business Report, her views on editorial independence and media ownership.

Sibusiso Tshabalala

News | 11 February 2014

Communities speak out against destructive mining practices

Edna Kusena (42) lives in the diamond-rich area of Chiadzwa in Zimbabwe, where the Marange diamond fields are spread over some 570 square kilometers. Three years ago, Edna and 4,300 families were relocated to an area on the outskirts of Chiadzwa.

Sibusiso Tshabalala

News | 10 February 2014

City and SJC dispute over Commission

The City of Cape Town and the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) have locked horns over the scope of the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry and the role of the City in the quality of policing.

Adam Armstrong

News | 7 February 2014

Young man behind Limpopo computer training centre

William Makgaba is an example of a young South African who is actively involved in developing his community.

Koketso Moeti

News | 7 February 2014

Somali community run school to learn English

Somali Association of South Africa (SASA) Western Cape chairperson Abdikadir Mohamed has established an English school project with the help of the Scalabrini Centre.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 6 February 2014

Landmark silicosis case reaches a milestone

The Legal Resources Centre (LRC) hosted a special event on 5 February 2014 to highlight its landmark silicosis case and the implications for future legislative and policy reform in South Africa.

Sibusiso Tshabalala

News | 6 February 2014

The week in political activism

This week we have reports from Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), SECTION27, Medecins Sans Frontieres, SERI, the residents of Slovo Park, Lawyers for Human Rights, Wits Justice Project and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Compiled by Brent Meersman

News | 6 February 2014

South Africa’s water wars

Ma Gladys Mphepho hovers over a pot on a two plate cooker in her shack in Papamani, an informal settlement outside of Grahamstown. “We do not have dignity,” she says, stirring the rice, flavoured with beef stock, that is her family’s Sunday lunch. “We do not know what it means to have dignity. Forget about any question of dignity,” says Mphepho.

Mandy de Waal

News | 5 February 2014

Police oversight bodies failing

For three days, the Khayelitsha Commission has heard from various bodies responsible for oversight and cooperation with the police. Their testimonies have not inspired confidence.

Adam Armstrong

News | 5 February 2014