Provincial

Most Mfuleni tent children back at school

Arrangements have been made to accommodate most of the Mfuleni learners who were using a tent as a school, according to the Western Cape Department of Education.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 4 February 2015

Primary school kids sent home because of lack of toilets and sewage smell

It is only 10am on a Wednesday morning and A.C.J. Phakade primary school students in Nomzamo township (near Strand in Cape Town) are already walking home or waiting for shuttles to fetch them.

Zintle Swana

News | 29 January 2015

Hope of peace for Manenberg residents

Manenberg residents believe night marches by community members and increased police visibility helped to restore peace to the area this week.

Barbara Maregele

News | 28 January 2015

Educational technology has huge potential: a response to Nikki Stein

Last week Nikki Stein from SECTION27 expressed reservations about the piloting of paperless classrooms at seven township schools in Gauteng. MEC for Education in the province, Panyaza Lesufi, responds here.

Panyaza Lesufi

Opinion | 27 January 2015

Life-saving AIDS medicine out of stock in Gauteng

Hospitals throughout Gauteng ran out of essential medicines in recent weeks, including a life-saving drug for people with AIDS called amphotericin B.

Daneel Knoetze and GroundUp staff

News | 9 December 2014

Game of drones: City tests underway

City of Cape Town drone tests are underway, with a new model demonstrated to officials and journalists last week. Critics are uninformed, malicious and have watched “too many movies”, officials say.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 3 December 2014

Provincial government accuses taxi association of invading routes of legal operators

Following the beating up of a member of the Vrygrond Taxi Association (VTA) earlier this week, GroundUp asked the Western Cape Ministry of Transport and Public Works its views on the VTA.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 14 November 2014

Western Cape crime stats to be monthly

According to a report by the Khayelitsha Commission of Inquiry released in August, the crime statistics for the three police stations in Khayelitsha when combined, record the highest number of violent crimes in the country year on year. The national crime statistics were released on Friday in Pretoria and they show that there has been a decrease in contact crimes (such as murder, sexual crimes, assault and robbery) from last year in Khayelitsha.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 22 September 2014

Criminalising protest and dissent

A new report by SERI profiles a community protest in Lenasia, Gauteng, and concludes that the criminal justice system was "abused" in order to intimidate activists and protesters. A look at similar cases in Cape Town seem to support this finding.

Daneel Knoetze

Opinion | 18 September 2014

Premier Zille: wrong again

DA leader and Western Cape premier Helen Zille has again entered the HIV prevention arena, telling us we are failing to deal with HIV because we don’t have the right approach to taking personal responsibility for sexual behaviours.

Francois Venter

Opinion | 4 September 2014

Khayelitsha commission: rift between police and community “not irretrievable”

The commission into policing in Khayelitsha has recommended that in order to restore a good working relationship with the community, the South African Police Services should promise to be respectful, transparent, and perform their duties in a professional manner.

Barbara Maregele

News | 29 August 2014

Khayelitsha commission a “victory for justice” say organisations

The organisations that originally called for the establishment of an independent commission of inquiry into policing in Khayelitsha have welcomed as a “victory for justice” the commission’s findings and recommendations.

Barbara Maregele

News | 26 August 2014

City in the hot seat over toilet audit

Over a quarter of the flush toilets inspected during the Social Justice Coalition’s (SJC) social audit did not work.

Barbara Maregele

News | 21 July 2014

Informal vendors unhappy with City’s proposed trading plans

A 38-year-old fruit vendor in the city centre says it is not clear if he will be benefiting from the City of Cape Town’s proposed plan to allocate new trading bays.

Barbara Maregele

News | 2 July 2014

Fix our healthcare system so that we may live!

Access to the Constitution and constitutional education in isiXhosa is not an an added extra—it is a constitutional right, argue Tim Hodgson and Mluleki Marongo.

Tim Hodgson and Mluleki Marongo

Opinion | 4 June 2014

Hangberg: mixed reaction to new housing development

For the first time since a violent clash between residents and law enforcement in 2010, development of new housing is proceeding in Hangberg, Hout Bay. 142 new rental units are being built.

Barbara Maregele

News | 8 May 2014