Housing
Masiphumelele: before and after the fire
Here are two aerial photographs of Masiphumelele's Section D and Section E informal settlements. The first was taken before Sunday morning's fire, and the second was taken after.
GroundUp staff
News | 4 December 2015
Mfuleni backyarders protest over housing list dispute
About 300 Mfuleni backyarders marched yesterday to the office of the Western Cape MEC for Human Settlements, Bonginkosi Madikizela, to hand over a memorandum about housing in the area.
Bernard Chiguvare
Brief | 3 December 2015
Masiphumelele to get its own fire station
Masiphumelele, scene of a devastating fire last weekend, is to get its own fire station. Community leaders have welcomed the news, but expressed surprise that they were not consulted.
Thembela Ntongana
News | 3 December 2015
Residents fight back against banks’ eviction tactics
A group called Lungelo Lethu Human Rights Foundation is preparing a class action suit against the four major banks for what it says are the unlawful evictions of thousands of South Africans from their homes.
Ciaran Ryan
Feature | 2 December 2015
Delays “unacceptable” says attorney in Hout Bay firebreak case
The court hearing of Hangberg resident Santonio Jonkers will be prioritised next year, says Magistrate Wezile Rixana. Jonkers is accused of contravening a 2011 High Court interdict that prevented anyone from building new structures on the Sentinel’s firebreak above Hangberg in Hout Bay.
Barbara Maregele
Brief | 2 December 2015
“My only thought was: I don’t want to die”
Nolufefe Mhlangeni lost her mother and her two-year-old daughter in a fire in Masiphumelele in 2013. On Sunday, she lost her home.
Thembela Ntongana
News | 30 November 2015
Who is responsible for Blikkiesdorp?
Who is responsible for Blikkiesdorp? This question has been coming up in response to work in the community by the Open Democracy Advice Centre.
Alison Tilley
Opinion | 30 November 2015
One thousand homes destroyed in Masiphumelele fire
Distraught residents wander amongst the ash, corrugated iron, rubble and smoke of Section D in Masiphumelele, a township in Cape Town's south peninsula. In the last few hours, thousands have lost their homes and possessions. Two fire engines stand at the edge of the burnt areas.
GroundUp Staff
Brief | 29 November 2015
Twitter war between activists and City over Wolwerivier
A spat erupted on Twitter this week when Ndifuna Ukwazi (NU) director Zackie Achmat accused City of Cape Town’s Benedicta van Minnen of being ‘a liar’ and ‘one who holds black people in contempt’.
Barbara Maregele
News | 27 November 2015