Masixole Feni, GroundUp's photographer, has won the 2015 Ernest Cole award.
Text by GroundUp Staff. Photos by Masixole Feni.
News | 4 August 2015
Thandekile Madikane tells his children that he works at the airport. He does not want his children to laugh at him for the job he does. But his job is vital. He is part of the city's operation to clean portable toilets.
Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik
News | 31 July 2015
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
A battle over jobs at Mawose Cleaning Services, contracted by the City of Cape Town to clean Barcelona informal settlement, sparked a protest which cut off a section of the N2 highway on Sunday night.
Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik
News | 20 July 2015
The City of Cape Town and residents of the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Langa will meet this week to discuss the installation of additional taps in the area.
Barbara Maregele
News | 24 June 2015
At 4am on Wednesday, Cape Town police used teargas and rubber bullets to prevent a group of about 50 residents from Barcelona informal settlement dumping buckets full of human waste onto the N2 highway. Residents said their buckets have not been collected or cleaned for the past four months.
Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik
News | 18 June 2015
The Wetlands informal settlement of Masiphumelele is home to over 20,000 people. It is a jumble of corrugated iron shacks and electrical wires. The smell of sewage and rubbish fills the air. Among the many problems its residents face are a lack of toilets and taps for water.
Thembela Ntongana
News | 11 June 2015
Siphokazi Rululu (14) and her father, Ayanda Qhara, both suffer from chronic epilepsy. Her mother leaves for work in a restaurant chain kitchen at 6am and returns at 7pm four-days a week. Siphokazi’s sister, who is seven years old, must sometimes care for her family during these times.
Pharie Sefali
News | 9 June 2015
The City of Cape Town says infrastructure for water and sanitation cannot be installed in 82% of informal settlements because the land is not suitable. Yet the City’s own data tells a different story, writes Dustin Kramer.
Dustin Kramer
Opinion | 28 May 2015
Yesterday, about 150 members of the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) marched to the civic centre. They demanded “a detailed account” of hundreds of submissions to the City of Cape Town on the 2015/16 budget.
Bernard Chiguvare
Brief | 28 May 2015
Minister of Water Affairs and Sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane announced in Khayelitsha on Friday the launch of pilot projects of new mobile toilets. But residents’ reactions were somewhat sceptical.
Nombulelo Damba
News | 25 May 2015
Residents of Slangspruit in Pietermaritzburg say they are used to the smell of faeces, because they have no toilets.
Ntombi Mbomvu
News | 12 May 2015
For over five years, the Social Justice Coalition in Cape Town has called for expanding access to safe and clean sanitation facilities in Khayelitsha and other townships in the city. Despite the overwhelming need for such services, the municipal government has yet to fulfill its duties to provide them at the requisite scale.
Gregg Gonsalves, Edward Kaplan and David Paltiel
Opinion | 29 April 2015
Last Thursday the Social Justice Coalition handed over 500 submissions, written by Khayelitsha residents, on the municipal budget to the City of Cape Town. GroundUp examined a sample of them to find out what residents are asking for.
Mary-Anne Gontsana
News | 29 April 2015
The City of Cape Town has put out a tender to solve among others things the temporary storage facilities for cleaning bucket toilets also known as porta potties.
Pharie Sefali
News | 24 April 2015
On 25 April, the Mayor tabled the draft budget in council, challenging residents to find evidence that it is not pro-poor.
Axolile Notywala
Opinion | 24 April 2015