From Somali “Blast Furnace” to South African “Frying Pan”

Somalis marched to Parliament on 7 June in response to xenophobic violence against Somali refugees. About 500 people participated.

Tariro Washinyira

Brief | 12 June 2013

Portable flush toilets: What are they and why the fuss?

The public spats over portable toilets have been at the forefront of the news. But what exactly are portable toilets? How do they work? What is good and what is bad about them?

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 12 June 2013

Kasonokomona wins first round of court battle

Zambian activist Paul Kasonkomona has won an important first round in his court battle. In an interview on Zambian television in April he called for the recognition of gay and lesbian rights, as well as the rights of sex workers. He was arrested after the interview and charged under section 178(g) of the Zambian Penal Code.

Jonathan Dockney

News | 6 June 2013

Mayor and SJC clash over toilet facts

Mayor Patricia de Lille held a press conference today to address an unfavourable audit by the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) about the quality of the City's sanitation services in Khayelitsha.

Amelia Earnest

News | 5 June 2013

Zandvlei

News | 5 June 2013

Achmat to police: Where are the documents for firearms register?

Zackie Achmat, director of Ndifuna Ukwazi, has sent an access to information request to the South African Police Service asking for documents related to an IT project that has not been completed.

Edirin Okoloko

News | 5 June 2013

Metrorail and The Newage

News | 5 June 2013

Open Data: opening democracy?

Open Data is possibly the big change waiting to happen. It is not only going to change our interaction with the world, but also define new ideas and solutions to problems for us.

Jonathan Dockney

Opinion | 5 June 2013

What kind of boy are you?

ā€˜Are you a boy or a girl?ā€™ ā€˜Go outside and play with other boys and throw that doll away. Who bought it?ā€™ My father shouts at me as he finds me playing with the cheap fashion doll which I secretly brought with my lunch money after months of saving.

Luckyboy Mkhondwane

Opinion | 5 June 2013

Climate scientists agree: Global warming is man-made

A recent analysis of over 12 000 research papers shows that the overwhelming majority of climate scientists agree that climate change is influenced by human activity.

Kerry Gordon

News | 5 June 2013

The ANC-Alliance soap opera trundles on

ā€œConfusion hath made his masterpiece.ā€ That quote from Shakespeareā€™s Macbeth seems perfectly to sum up the statements, comments, reports and machinations surrounding the Cosatu executive committee meeting last week.

Terry Bell

Opinion | 5 June 2013

Violence against women mural unveiled in Khayelitsha

A mural has been unveiled in Khayelitsha to highlight the need for the state and communities to improve their response to violence against women.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

News | 5 June 2013

The People’s Paper: Reflections on another world, not so long ago

The offices of a community newspaper were burned to the ground in October 1985. It was situated opposite the Grand Parade and next to Cape Townā€™s historic City Hall. A few weeks earlier three of the newspaperā€™s employees were taken into detention by apartheid security police who swooped on their homes in the dead of night, armed to the teeth.

Mansoor Jaffer

News | 5 June 2013

Are we ready for the next pandemic?

Flu infections follow seasons, typically rising in winter and dropping in summer. As it moves, a virus mutates, with the risk that with every new flu season, a highly infectious virus could come back more deadly than before. We struggle between the hype of a new disease and the potential threat it imposes.

Kerry Gordon

News | 30 May 2013