News

Cape Town urged to join march against corruption

Speakers at a meeting in Salt River last night urged Capetonians to join the march against corruption on 19 August in the city.

Pharie Sefali

News | 29 July 2015

SACP responds to Terry Bell

A young student at a University in Cape Town was only known by his “nom de guerre” - Komanisi. He acquired this nickname for two reasons, one, because he was a tireless and dedicated SACP activist on campus and, two, because for the entire duration of his studies he proudly wore an SACP t-shirt, a t-shirt that when first donned was a deep red, then a faded tinged red and finally a palest pink/red.

Barry James Mitchell

News | 29 July 2015

Corruption in government employment programme results in strike

About 100 workers from the Community Work Programme (CWP) in Philippi went on strike on Monday, accusing their boss of fraud and nepotism.

Siphesihle Matyila and Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik

News | 29 July 2015

Where does the word “gogga” come from?

The hall at Lavender Hill high school erupted in giggling and whispers on Monday as students watched the documentary “Afrikaaps” on the story of the Afrikaans language and the origin of words like “Yoh!” and “gogga.”

Barbara Maregele

News | 28 July 2015

Juggling for Jack: How the Zip Zap circus helped a six-year-old boy

The Zip Zap Circus School dome in the city centre was packed on Saturday afternoon as the circus put on a show to raise funds for severely disabled six-year-old Jack Bain.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 28 July 2015

Perhaps it’s time you cleaned your tackies?

Because two brothers hated getting their sneakers dirty and could not bear wearing dirty shoes, they came up with the unique idea of opening a tackie laundry.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 27 July 2015

City and Blikkiesdorp residents fail to see eye-to-eye

“Residents of Blikkiesdorp do not trust the City [of Cape Town government],” says a Blikkiesdorp leader, Jerome Daniels. A meeting on Thursday night highlighted the ongoing tensions between this community and the City.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 27 July 2015

Strange beds

The homeless in Cape Town find refuge wherever they can and sometimes in the most surprising spaces. Where they sleep is often precarious and exposed to various hazards from bad weather and pollution to criminals or people who don't want them around. Although mostly transient, homeless people will often stay in the same place, wherever it is they have managed to carve out a shelter for themselves. Some homeless people have lived in a suburb or street for longer than many residents who live there in brick and mortar buildings.

Pictures by Masixole Feni.Text by Brent Meersman

News | 24 July 2015

Protest turns ugly and mayor snubs memorandum

On Thursday, following protests at Sobantu in Pietermaritzburg on Monday police used rubber bullets and teargas to disperse angry residents blocking road access to the township. This came after Msunduzi Municipality refused to accept the hand over of a memorandum from the residents.

Ntombi Mbomvu

News | 24 July 2015

Khayelitsha residents stuck with severe lack of police resources

Eleven months after the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry into policing released its finding that the South African Police Service (SAPS) allocation of resources was unfair and irrational, the situation has hardly improved. Khayelitsha residents still suffer from a severe lack of police resources and there are still reports of poor communication and distrust between the police and the community.

Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik

News | 23 July 2015

How I was “ransomed” hitching back from Zimbabwe

A freelance reporter for GroundUp found himself all but held hostage on his way back hitchhiking from Zimbabwe.

Bernard Chiguvare

News | 23 July 2015

Seedtime: An Omar Badsha Retrospective

Seedtime is an impressive retrospective exhibition of works by South African artist, photographer and former political activist, Omar Badsha, spanning a period of 50 years.

GroundUp Staff

News | 23 July 2015

Amputee uses a plastic bag for a toilet

Fifty-three year old Annacleta Zungu, who has only one leg, uses a plastic bag as a toilet at night because she is afraid to use the pit toilet outside her Pietermaritzburg house. Zungu, who is diabetic, lost her leg last year.

Ntombi Mbomvu

News | 22 July 2015

Scene of a murder, Hout Bay’s “white house, could be demolished

The controversial “white house” in Hout Bay, scene of the murder earlier this month of a Congolese resident, could be demolished in August, says Brett Herron, mayoral committee member for transport.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 22 July 2015

SASSA beneficiaries still struggling with illegal deductions

Diena Twala, a 71-year-old grandmother from Mbekweni says illegal deductions for airtime and electricity from her South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) account are still ongoing despite countless attempts to have it stopped.

Barbara Maregele

News | 22 July 2015

Two massive medicine trials will change the way HIV is treated

Results of two large medicine trials, known as START and TEMPRANO, published this week show that the health of people with HIV will benefit from starting antiretroviral treatment earlier. These findings are a climax of a bit more than three decades of research on this relatively new disease.

Nathan Geffen

News | 22 July 2015