GroundUp (Cape Town)
A community journalist project reporting from South Africa's townships, mostly on health.
Website: http://www.groundup.org.za
April 19
South Africa: Strand Property Owners Protest Against Land Occupation
About 100 property owners in Strand, Cape Town, picketed at the municipal buildings on Thursday afternoon. They demanded an explanation from the City of Cape Town about an apparent… Read more »
South Africa: JHB Manager Tells SAHRC of Difficulties Developing Alexandra
On Thursday, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) started an inquiry into the recent spate of protests in Alexandra. The inquiry will consider some of the issues… Read more »
April 18
South Africa: Why a High Court Dismissed Somali Claims for Asylum
But Lawyers for Human Rights disagrees with the court's reasoning and is appealing Read more »
South Africa: Family of Learner Killed On Metrorail Suffer Two More Tragedies
"We were expecting great things from this child, but now he is gone" Read more »
South Africa: Housing List Sparks Protests in East London
Police use tear gas and rubber bullets to quell two days of demonstrations in Nompumelelo township Read more »
South Africa: Cape Town's Roadside Chicken Sellers
"What I love about this business is that it is outside. I'm not enclosed in a building." Read more »
April 17
Southern Africa: Cyclone Idai - Zimbabweans Rally to Help Each Other
With little faith in their government, Zimbabweans took the rescue effort into their own hands after Cyclone Idai hit the Chimanimani region. Steve Kretzmann reports Read more »
South Africa: Commuters and Activists Occupy PRASA and ANC Offices
About 80 people occupied the ground floor of the PRASA Cape Town office at 11am on Wednesday. They were demanding that Minister of Transport Blade Nzimande fix the rail system. Read more »
South Africa: Evicted Family Spend Three Weeks On R44 Roadside
For nearly a month Zonwabile Alfred May and his nine family members have been living on the R44 roadside near Paarl. They were evicted from the Windmeul Kelder wine farm on 26… Read more »
South Africa: Families Left in Shipping Containers for 12 Years
22 Langa families were moved out for a hostel upgrade in 2006 Read more »
South Africa: Residents of Ncwadi Have to Walk 15 Km to Catch a Taxi
Residents of Ncwadi in Pietermaritzburg have to walk 15 km or more to the nearest taxi because the roads in their area are so bad the taxis won't enter. Read more »
South Africa: Zimbabweans Leave After Xenophobic Attacks in Vuwani
"I miss my fellow Zimbabweans. We used to stay as a family but we are now scattered in Limpopo" Read more »
April 16
South Africa: Homophobic Staff At Cape Quarter Coffee Shop Make Chef's Life a Misery
Bootlegger management says homophobia is unacceptable and it is rectifying the situation Read more »
South Africa: Protesters Stand in Solidarity With 'Gangster State' Author
A crowd of about 80 people occupied the road in front of Iziko Slave Lodge in Adderley Street on Monday in solidarity with author Pieter-Louis Myburgh, following the disruption of… Read more »
South Africa: Watson Wind Farm Stopped - for Now
The controversial decision to grant environmental authorisation for the Watson family's massive wind farm project on the summit of the Groot Winterhoek mountains near Uitenhage has… Read more »
April 15
South Africa: Metrorail's Collapse Costs Those That Need It Most
Lizette Jonas is scared of taking trains to work. She fears being trampled or robbed. "I am too old for crowded trains," she says. Read more »
South Africa: Learner Killed On Cape Town Metrorail
A learner, who was about to turn 17, was killed on the Cape Town Southern Metrorail line on Friday morning. Read more »
Zimbabwe: Zimbabweans Struggle to to Recover From Cyclone Idai
On 15 March, Cyclone Idai slammed into the Chimanimani Mountains that form the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Torrential rain and sustained winds of up to 190km per hour… Read more »
South Africa: 'We Hope We Will Be the Last Generation of Waste Pickers to Face These Difficulties'
According to a report by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSRI), waste pickers are estimated to collect 80 to 90% of discarded packaging and paper in the… Read more »
April 12
South Africa: Immigrant-Owned Shop Saved By Residents, Later Looted
Looting of immigrant-owned shops continued on Friday in the Strand area. GroundUp reported earlier how the L'Gra shop in Greenfields, Lwandle, had been protected by the community… Read more »
South Africa: Eastern Cape Immigrant Shop Owners Say They Pay for Protection From 'Xenophobia'
Immigrants who own shops in the Eastern Cape town of Cofimvaba say the South African National Civic Organization (SANCO), together with the Intsika Yethu Business Forum, have been… Read more »
South Africa: Villagers Use Sheep Shed While Brand New Community Hall Stands Unused
Villagers of Nquma in Peddie, Eastern Cape, have been using a sheep shed for community meetings, while a newly-built community hall has stood empty and locked up since August 2018. Read more »
South Africa: Immigrant-Owned Shops Ransacked in Strand
Shops were looted in Strand, Cape Town on Thursday. Rioting that had begun on Wednesday following clashes between land occupiers and police, also continued on Thursday. Schools,… Read more »
South Africa: Greenmarket Square Not What It Used to Be, Say Traders
"Business is on and off. If you are lucky you may make one or two sales a week. There is no business [here] anymore," says Lindiswa Zana, who has a stall in Greenmarket Square in… Read more »
South Africa: Communicare Leadership Cleared of Corruption Allegations
After an eight-month investigation, Communicare, a non-profit organisation that manages social housing projects, has released the findings of a report on corruption among staff and… Read more »
