Lack of rain has forced farmers to make difficult decisions
Feature | 11 February 2016
This area will be closely contested in the Municipal elections
Feature | 1 February 2016
There is a political battle underway in Philippi's Ward 33. The fight is not between opposing political parties, however, but within the ANC itself, with former ward councillor Monwabisi Mbaliswano in one corner and the present incumbent, Nico Mzalisi, in the other.
Feature | 14 January 2016
The government agency responsible for publishing them has not done so since March 2011.
By Barbara Maregele and GroundUp Staff
Feature | 11 January 2016
Theresa Fisher was born in what was then Rhodesia, in 1950. Simon Jacobs was born in what was then Transkei, in 1957. Both of them have ended up, in 2015, begging on the same street corner in Rondebosch.
Tariro Washinyira
Feature | 11 December 2015
Activists have accused government officials of turning a blind eye to a pattern of environmental violations at the Tormin dune mine on the West Coast – including a “catastrophic” cliff collapse – after state departments failed to act on a string of letters, objections and a formal appeal.
Mary-Anne Gontsana
Feature | 11 December 2015
Police cases against three Tormin mine managers, one of whom was accused of driving into and knocking over a mineworker during a strike, have all been withdrawn.
Barbara Maregele
Feature | 11 December 2015
Mercia Kleinsmith has been the councillor of Ward 9, or Bellville South, since 2009. She won a by-election following the death of her husband Glen, the day after the DA won the province in April that year. Glen had been hailed in the press as the city’s “leading drugbuster”.
Steve Kretzmann
Feature | 9 December 2015
The National Rural Youth Service Corps (Narysec), set up to train unemployed young people in rural areas, seems to be in disarray in the Eastern Cape, where some students have given up hope of graduating while others say they have been given certificates for courses they did not complete.
Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik and GroundUp staff
Feature | 8 December 2015
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
In a dimly-lit room, about 50 people wait to have proof-of-residence documents authorised by Dunoon ward councillor Lubabalo Makeleni.
Steve Kretzmann
Feature | 27 November 2015
The corridors are long and institution-like, lined by doors. Light peeks in through the staircase windows, but the corridors are dark, despite it being 10AM on a bright Johannesburg day.
Sarita Pillay
Feature | 20 November 2015
“Every time they go murder somebody, the guns come to me, I clean it and I load it again,” says 21-year-old Shireen. “Yoh! … If you’re on drugs, you catch on to all the stuff, man. You’re not the same.”
Anne Gonschorek
Feature | 29 October 2015
Earlier this month, Health-e reported the difficulties of accessing ambulances in rural Eastern Cape. Here we report on how difficult it is to get an ambulance in a township as close as five kilometres from the nearest hospital.
Hancu Louw
Feature | 16 October 2015
Many South African women are still resorting to unsafe abortions with illegal providers, often with disastrous implications even though safe legal abortion has been available since 1997.
Thembela Ntongana
Feature | 12 October 2015
At the end of grade nine South African students are expected to decide which subjects they would like to continue with for the rest of high school. One of the important decisions they make is whether or not they will continue with maths, or take maths literacy. As five students explain, the decision is tough, affects their future, and is not always made freely and based on their true ability and interests.
Sarita Pillay
Feature | 9 October 2015