âResidents of Blikkiesdorp do not trust the City [of Cape Town government],â says a Blikkiesdorp leader, Jerome Daniels. A meeting on Thursday night highlighted the ongoing tensions between this community and the City.
Mary-Anne Gontsana
News | 27 July 2015
The homeless in Cape Town find refuge wherever they can and sometimes in the most surprising spaces. Where they sleep is often precarious and exposed to various hazards from bad weather and pollution to criminals or people who don't want them around. Although mostly transient, homeless people will often stay in the same place, wherever it is they have managed to carve out a shelter for themselves. Some homeless people have lived in a suburb or street for longer than many residents who live there in brick and mortar buildings.
Pictures by Masixole Feni.Text by Brent Meersman
News | 24 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
For the past few years, the old Jewish burial site located south of Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town has become a home to a number of homeless people.
Siphesihle Matyila
News | 16 July 2015
âI donât know how it feels to be in a warm house without a leaking roof,â says Betha Mkhize, who is in her eighties and lives in Ezinketheni in Pietermaritzburg with her mentally disabled son.
Ntombi Ngubane
News | 15 July 2015
A group of anonymous street artists called Space Invader has claimed responsibility for âreinterpretingâ the mural in District Six along De Waal Drive near Cape Town city centre.
Barbara Maregele
News | 15 July 2015
Forty-three year old Patrick Brewer from Henley in Pietermaritzburg has been living in a tiny shed the size of a toilet for 14 years.
Ntombi Ngubane
News | 10 July 2015
A retired farmworker and his family who were evicted from their home on Langdam farm in Montagu last year are entitled to move back to their farmhouse, the Land Claims court in Cape Town ruled this week.
Barbara Maregele
News | 3 July 2015
Tsunami Informal Settlement near Delft in Cape Town is a severely deprived area. Residents have been expecting to be moved to a better area, but it appears their hopes have been dashed.
Nombulelo Damba-HendrikMasixole Feni
News | 3 July 2015
Law enforcement is removing homeless people who have been living alongside the Liesbeek River below Valkenberg. The homeless claim they are being harassed and their belongings are taken and destroyed by officers of the law. Many have already left the area and others say they are planning to leave.
Pharie Sefali
News | 25 June 2015
More than 100 residents of Tsunami informal settlement in Delft marched to the offices of MEC of Human Settlements Bonginkosi Madikizela demanding to be moved to new land with services.
Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik
News | 24 June 2015
We're a generation of clicktivists, incessantly raising awareness for a wide assortment of causes and social justice issues. But we rarely follow through with any tangible action or put our money where our âsharesâ are. So, logically, we should be lauding those attempting to deliver actual change by attempting to physically address societal problems.
Natasha Skoryk and Caitlin Spring
Opinion | 24 June 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
On the weekend, some tenants at the De Waal Drive flats received notices that they can stay on, provided they pay their rentals going forward. In this latest message to the residents, the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements has asserted a softer approach than it had done in the past. The change has been welcomed.
GroundUp Staff
Brief | 23 June 2015
Three Sesâkhona leaders from Mfuleni Garden City informal settlement were left homeless after residents demolished their shacks on Saturday, accusing them of âsellingâ open spaces.
Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik
News | 23 June 2015
Private and public landowners will have to notify the Minister of Human Settlements before evicting people from their land, if a proposal being discussed in government becomes law.
GroundUp Staff
News | 22 June 2015