Feature

Is it the end for popular Cape Town circus?

As part of the City of Cape Town's plans to rationalise municipal facilities, the South African National Circus School (SAN Circus) will have to vacate their premises in Observatory, after their lease was terminated before it was set to expire.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

Feature | 3 July 2015

Is Uber a fair deal?

The Californian-born transport company, known as Uber, first came to Cape Town in August 2013. Two and a half years later, it has approximately 2,000 drivers in South Africa’s three main cities, many more thousands of users, and ambitious plans for expansion. The company is rapidly reconfiguring the metred taxi industry in the country.

Ben Stanwix

Feature | 22 June 2015

How brave nine-year-old narrowly missed falling through the welfare system’s cracks

Luxolo “Nana” Ntsantsa was left paralysed from the waist down after a gunman killed his mother and left him for dead in their small shack in Site C, Khayelitsha nearly a year ago.

Barbara Maregele

Feature | 15 June 2015

Where have all the medicines gone?

Drug shortages in South Africa’s health facilities have become a crisis. Today we report that Stanger Hospital and health facilities in Ilembe District KwaZulu-Natal are out of stock of over 200 products between them.

Ashleigh Furlong and Nathan Geffen

Feature | 6 June 2015

UCT and transformation

In April and May 2015 we published a five-part series on UCT and transformation:

By

Feature | 1 June 2015

“It’s not a life I would wish on anyone, but this is home to us”

A group of homeless people who live under the bridge behind the Castle of Good Hope have over the past few months gathered funds to buy small tents in a bid to fight off the winter chill.

Barbara Maregele

Feature | 27 May 2015

Shooting hoops through stereotypes: Philippi’s women basketball players

Even though Philippi female basketball player, Ziyanda Tyefi says the sport is still viewed as a male sport, she loves it and she cannot see herself playing anything else but it.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

Feature | 26 May 2015

When the state neglects property rights

Fridges, stoves, furniture, televisions and microwaves are just some of the goods that residents claim are taken or damaged during evictions. Shack building materials are taken too. But what exactly happens to these goods once they are taken away? And what does the law say?

Mary-Anne Gontsana

Feature | 22 May 2015

Worker killed as NUM strike enters fifth week

About 174 construction workers involved in building schools in the Western Cape have been on an unprotected strike for nearly five weeks. One person died when violence broke out between the strikers, who are members of the National Union of Mineworkers, and security guards.

Nombulelo Damba

Feature | 19 May 2015

Awful stench overwhelms neighbourhood

The smell from blocked drains and stagnant water in Philippi Temporary Relocation Area is so bad, that some residents hardly leave their houses.

Nombulelo Damba

Feature | 18 May 2015

UCT and transformation part five: fees and finances

Studying at UCT is expensive and many students struggle to pay the fees, though both the university and the state do try to support students. In the fifth and final part of our series on UCT and transformation we look at fees and finances.

GroundUp Staff

Feature | 14 May 2015

Former Buccaneers player in court - for coaching soccer

A three year long legal battle between the City of Cape Town and the African Brothers Football Academy (ABFA) is coming to a close. On 14 May the academy’s Craig Hepburn will appear in court, charged with failing to comply with the City’s zoning laws.

Elias Kuhn von Burgsdorff

Feature | 13 May 2015

African Bank: no rescue plan for borrowers

The Reserve Bank came to the rescue of African Bank when it collapsed in August 2014. But there’s no rescue plan for borrowers, many of whom are repaying loans which experts say are contrary to the National Credit Act.

Mandy de Waal

Feature | 11 May 2015

Detainee tells of shocking conditions for awaiting trial prisoners

After numerous organisations wrote to the Department of Correctional Services, raising their concerns about the bad conditions in the awaiting trial section of Pollsmoor prison, GroundUp exclusively spoke to a detainee in that section, who says nothing has changed.

Mary-Anne Gontsana

Feature | 7 May 2015

Mfuleni dancers quickstep into top spots

A group of young ballroom dancers from the Mfuleni Dance School are well on their way to waltzing into the Western Cape's top junior ranks this year.

Text by Barbara Maregele. Photo by Masixole Feni.

Feature | 7 May 2015

UCT and transformation part four: the academic staff

The racial composition of lecturers and researchers at UCT is one of the most heated topics of debate when it comes to the university’s transformation. In the fourth article in our series, we report the statistics and arguments concerning transformation of UCT’s academic staff.

GroundUp Staff

Feature | 5 May 2015