Africa’s first-ever Netball World Cup has grounded its feet in the Mother City. All 16 competing nations officially touch down in Cape Town and start preparations for the first centre pass, which takes place on 28 July 2023 at CTICC. Excitement is mounting as Africa’s first Netball World Cup is officially a couple of days […]

The South African Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, recently lost a court case that anyone could have anticipated was unwinnable. He probably expected to lose it too. He lost it on humanitarian and technical grounds. It prevents him from terminating the South African government’s concession to refugees from neighbouring Zimbabwe nearly fifteen years ago. […]

South Africa’s national health department recently invited public comment on regulations for warning labels on food packaging. The regulations specify how pre-packaged food should be labelled. Broadly speaking, “front-of-pack” labels provide information about the overall nutritional quality of foods and beverages. The aim is to allow consumers to make healthier food choices. The proposed rule […]

Eskom Senior Shift Supervisor from the Matla Power Station and a heavy fuel oil (HFO) tanker driver were arrested for fraud and theft of the HFO. According to Eskom, the arrests were effected on Wednesday, 19 July 2023, after information was received that tanker drivers were involved in the theft of fuel oil at Matla […]

Trucks continue to be stoned and set alight on the M17 Addo Road in Motherwell, Gqeberha, bringing the total to five over the last month as protesters from surrounding informal settlements demand the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality supply them with water and electricity. Residents from informal settlements flanking a road freight route to Ngqura have […]

The DA has welcomed the latest announcement from IPID that the blue light bullies who were involved in assaulting unarmed civilians in early July were processed at Sandton Police Station on Sunday and will appear in Randburg Magistrate’s Court today. Independent Police Investigative Directorate spokesman Robbie Raburabu confirmed that the eight cops would be processed […]

A new study analysing data from the UK Biobank has attempted to answer this very question. Around 90,000 healthy, middle-aged people wore wrist bands (accelerometers) that tracked their activity. It recorded their activity levels for a week with particular attention to moderate-to-vigorous activity (more on that later). The researchers found that in the six years […]

South Africa is on the path to reforming its law on whistleblowing to provide improved protection for individuals who expose corruption and illegal activity. The country’s Department of Justice and Constitutional Development recently published a discussion document on the proposed reforms. This first step in reforming the country’s law on whistleblowers is to be welcomed. […]

The following article contains spoilers for Barbie. For some, Barbie is the ultimate “girlboss” – she’s glamourous, successful and owns her own DreamHouse. For others, Barbie represents an outdated female stereotype – a “blonde bimbo girl in a fantasy world”, according to Aqua’s 1997 hit song Barbie Girl. Just ask the man with the megaphone who […]

Small-scale farmers in the mountainous Cederberg region in the Western Cape are battling to put food on the table after floods wrecked their crops last month. The last floods of this magnitude occurred almost 40 years ago, according to long-time residents. Small-scale farmers in the Cederberg are battling to rebuild their livelihoods after floods devastated […]

Engineers at the City of Johannesburg have identified three possible causes of the deadly explosion that ripped through Lillian Ngoyi (Bree) Street on Wednesday. The blast claimed the life of one person and injured at least 48 others. During a technical media briefing on Thursday evening, city manager Floyd Brink said engineers, experts and all […]

Maria Mokgethi, 61, returned from work to her home in Willow Farm, Tshwane, in February to find the bottom half of her shack flooded. Since then she has been living with scores of people at the Nellmapius Community Hall in Mamelodi, desperately hoping the City of Tshwane will come to her aid. Maria Mokgethi has […]

By making sign language the 12th official language of South Africa, government aims to advance the rights of citizens living with disabilities by ensuring that their rights to substantive equality, dignity and social inclusion are recognised. Addressing the signing ceremony of the South African Sign Language Bill, President Cyril Ramaphosa said it also affirms the […]

At least one person has died and 48 others injured following an explosion on Wednesday evening at Bree Street in the Johannesburg CBD. Some 12 people still remain hospitalised. Briefing the media on Thursday morning, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said although there is a suspicion that the explosion was caused by gas, all relevant stakeholders […]

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has warned of a dramatic drop in temperature, with snow in places for the southern half of the country this week. The weather service said a cut-off low is expected to develop over the southern interior of South Africa, resulting in a sudden and widespread lowering of maximum temperatures, […]

Experts and industry leaders agree that Eskom – and by extension the country – is not likely to incur a total grid collapse and blackout despite current electricity generation challenges. This came out during a webinar hosted by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) on the myths and facts about electricity grid stability on Wednesday. Eskom’s […]

The Presidency has confirmed that President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin will not attend the 15th Summit of BRICS – however, the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “By mutual agreement, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation will not attend the Summit but the Russian Federation will be represented […]

Painting an animal clinic in a township, passing down knitting skills, soup kitchens and medical students volunteering services to the elderly are just some of the ways South Africans marked Mandela Day. GroundUp attended a few events in Cape Town and Durban. Cape Town Charity organisation Ladles of Love hosted a variety of crafts activities. Volunteers […]

University students across the country are protesting. They claim they have not been paid by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). This video explains what led to the protests. Published originally on GroundUp | By Adel Van Niekerk

The multiple concerns about the dismal state of South Africa – including a stagnant and failing economy, a seemingly incapable state, and massive corruption – have led to the questioning of the political and economic settlement made in 1994 to end apartheid. The settlement is strongly associated with Nelson Mandela, who oversaw its progress to […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has unveiled two statues of the late former President Nelson Mandela, one in Mthatha and the other in Qunu in the Eastern Cape, as part of Nelson Mandela Day celebrations. The two statues unveiled at Bhunga Building in Mthatha and Youth and Heritage Centre in Qunu, serve as a tribute to Nelson […]

Olympic athlete Caster Semenya has repeatedly come into conflict with competition rules set out by the athletics governing body, World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF). These rules require athletes like Semenya, who has what is known as a difference of sexual development (DSD), to reduce their blood testosterone level when competing in a number […]

It’s 10:45am on a Tuesday, and you are arriving late to work. You’ve just been to the dentist who berated you for grinding your teeth – she says this is what’s causing your sore jaw and neck. You’ve been waking up between 2am and 4am most nights for the past month, and when you do, […]

More than two years into the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing, the South African government has yet to finalise its action plan on how to help older people live healthier and happier lives. According to StatsSA, South Africa has five million people older than 60. Many of them face discrimination, abuse and neglect. The […]

Hundreds of people from Browns Farm in Philippi marched to the Cape Town Civic Centre and the offices of the Western Cape Human Settlements department on Monday, demanding better housing. The marchers included backyarders and shack dwellers who say their living conditions have become unbearable. They complain about access to water, sanitation, public lighting and […]