Eskom: a wake-up call to government and unions

Deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa persists in referring to the mess that is Eskom as ā€œa challengeā€. He did so in his Q&A session in parliament last week. But the situation at Eskom is perhaps the greatest crisis ever to face our fragile, non-racist democracy, especially given the global economic climate.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 23 March 2015

By ignoring petitions, government encourages violent protest

The Eastern Cape government has failed to even acknowledge a petition from a group of housing project beneficiaries. What options does this leave aggrieved citizens, asks Mimosa Delgaro?

Mimosa Delgaro

Opinion | 20 March 2015

ANC councillors in dock for murder of activist

The ANC in KwaZulu Natal says it has decided to suspend two ward councillors, including Mduduzi Ngcobo, who face charges relating to the murder of Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) activist Thuli Ndlovu in September last year.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 20 March 2015

Zimbabweans remain unhappy with special permit process

After Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba gave the media an update on the Zimbabwe Special Permit (ZSP) in Midrand on Monday, Zimbabweans who spoke to GroundUp claim there were challenges with the ZSP which the minister did not address. These included delays and rejections.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 20 March 2015

Will Wolwerivier be a model for development, or the next Blikkiesdorp?

Loud barks from a multitude of dogs are what you hear when entering the small area of Wolwerivier, where 28 families live under difficult conditions.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

Feature | 20 March 2015

Thanks to whistleblower, arrests imminent in massive housing fraud

The wheels of justice finally seem to be turning in relation to a huge suspected fraud in a housing scheme for the poor that is said to have cost the Vryburg municipality at least R60-million in 2008 and 2009.

Pharie Sefali and Drew Forrest for amaBhungane

Feature | 20 March 2015

This campaign will change the way our schools are run

This year, Equal Education is running a campaign on School Governing Board (SGB) Elections in South African public schools. Functional, inclusive SGBs are a key component of fixing schools, writes Raphael Chaskalson.

Raphael Chaskalson

Opinion | 19 March 2015

Robertson abattoir workers have their day in court

After a four year delay, the hearing in the case of 39 workers dismissed from Robertson Abattoir started in the Cape Town Labour Court this week.

Daneel Knoetze

Brief | 18 March 2015

A stealthy attempt at censorship

Freedom of speech is a fundamental right recognised in our constitution. But that doesn’t mean everyone has to allow that speech anywhere you want to make it.

Kevin Charleston

Opinion | 18 March 2015

Free speech vs copyright: Battle over Bushman legacy on steps of Labia

An old dispute over representing the family legacy of Khomani San leader Dawid Kruiper has resurfaced in a public furore between writer Patricia Glyn and filmmaker Richard Wicksteed.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 17 March 2015

Consumer activist forced to move website offshore

A consumer activist who runs a blog exposing misleading claims about health products has been forced to move his website offshore after a run-in with sports supplement company USN.

Barbara Maregele

News | 17 March 2015

Hope and hatred in South Africa: an interview with Jonny Steinberg

Civil war, betrayal and murder are what Asad Abdullahi left behind in his childhood to travel thousands of kilometres to the land of Mandela, the country of his dreams. But in South Africa he’d experience violence unlike anywhere else in Africa. Mandy de Waal speaks to Jonny Steinberg about his new book ā€˜A Man of Good Hope’.

Mandy de Waal

News | 17 March 2015

Innovations at Groote Schuur offer hope to patients and nurses

A year after receiving a kidney transplant, Vuyo [not his real name] travelled to the Eastern Cape to visit his grandmother. A young man of 19, Vuyo had been making good progress after the operation, but he still had to take medication daily.

Jon Pienaar

News | 17 March 2015

Treachery and the quest for truth: review of Jacob Dlamini’s Askari

Not wishing to sound derivative I was left grasping for fresh superlatives when I finished reading Askari. Earlier reviewers had already hailed this latest offering by Jacob Dlamini in terms with which I wholly agreed.

Terry Bell

News | 16 March 2015

Tee off along the N2

News | 16 March 2015