Society

Cape Town’s popular public swimming pools: a joy for all but not equally spread

Summer is here and people in Cape Town have begun enjoying swimming pools, either their own or one of the city's public pools. But how evenly spread are the city's pools?

Lea Bork

News | 3 November 2014

Keeping children safe in traffic

Posters have been put up in four high-risk areas of the city reminding motorists to be aware of child pedestrians in traffic.

Thembela Ntongana

News | 29 October 2014

A tribute to Gerald Kraak

Gerald Kraak (1956-2014), who was responsible for organising funding for many leading civil society organisations, died of cancer on Sunday night. Zackie Achmat pays tribute to his old friend.

Zackie Achmat

News | 21 October 2014

Dookoom: screaming about injustice

Daars a nuwe hond in die omgewing en hy raas soos ‘n baas! Kak gevaarlik and here to claim back the throne as the original Afrikaans gangsters, Dookoom have dropped a 4-track EP, A Gangster Called Big Times, and with the controversy caused by the debut single ‘Larney Jou Poes’, there are no sorry’s here.

Zethu Gqola

Opinion | 15 October 2014

Road Accident Fund goes to communities

People involved in a road accident where someone is injured or killed should come directly to the Road Accident Fund, Communications Manager for RAF Jacqui Sobantu said at a briefing in Mfuleni at the weekend.

Johnnie Isaac

News | 14 October 2014

Hangberg on a knife-edge

Four years after the riots of 2010, Hangberg is on the edge of rebellion. Protests after the arrest of resident Santonio Jonkers engulfed the neighbourhood last week and a traditional leader has warned of impending bloodshed. GroundUp finds out why the 2011 Peace Accord between the community and the authorities seems to be in tatters.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 8 October 2014

TAC workshop highlights domestic violence

Khayelitsha community members voiced their concerns on how the police deal with gender-based violence such as rape.

Joyce Xi

News | 30 September 2014

Adoption and race: we unpack the issues

Adoption of children across the the old apartheid categories is on the increase, according to the Department of Social Development. There were 936 such adoptions in the last three years. GroundUp unpacks some of the issues on what the department calls “trans-racial” adoption.

Thembela Ntongana and GroundUp staff

News | 29 September 2014

National tshisa nyama day

For many township residents, Heritage Day means a good braai, and there is no shortage of popular braai spots in Khayelitsha and Nyanga, a GroundUp team found.

Joyce Xi and Pharie Sefali

News | 23 September 2014

Heritage Day: is it a cultural event or just a chance to have fun?

Should we spend Heritage Day celebrating our culture or is it okay just to have fun? Young people interviewed by GroundUp had different views on the subject.

Pharie Sefali

Opinion | 23 September 2014

Pollsmoor inmates give back to society

On the weekend, Pollsmoor Prison inmates gave a helping hand to assemble wheelchairs for donation to communities in Ocean View, Masiphumelele, Retreat, Muizenberg and Capricorn.

Johnnie Isaac

News | 22 September 2014

The rise of female township gangs

When people think of gangs in the townships of Cape Town, they mostly picture young boys and men -- the Vato, Vura, Hardlivings, Palestinians and such. But there are also female gangs, rarely noticed, because they act differently from the male gangs. GroundUp went to talk to some of the “babes”.

Pharie Sefali

News | 18 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

Bullying still rife in schools, finds survey

A survey started in 2011 by the Quaker Peace Centre covering 102 learners has found that 95% of respondents were bullied at some point; of these 50% were bullied at school. The centre is ramping up its anti-bullying campaign.

Pharie Sefali

News | 16 September 2014

City of Cape Town plan to acquire drones

Shortly after referring to its CCTV system as "Big Brother" and expressing support for public video surveillance, the City of Cape Town has revealed that it is in the “planning phase” of a camera drone project.

Daneel Knoetze

News | 11 September 2014

Mannenberg duo teach more than music

In a classroom at Phoenix Secondary School in Mannenberg, GroundUp spoke to Zakie Johnson and Aziza Davids. They are skilled participants working for the Community Work Programme, a poverty relief government initiative that provides a job safety net for the unemployed. The average daily rate is R63,18.

Katy Scott

News | 10 September 2014