Work, it’s something most of us do though it isn’t always enjoyable. Whether it’s long hours, gruelling tasks or just the repetitive nature of a day-to-day routine, work can sometimes be something we have to do rather than something we want to do. But given that the average person will spend 90,000 hours at work […]

As climate change worsens, and with populations rising worldwide, water shortages are a top threat to human development and security. One in four people on Earth face shortages of water for drinking, sanitation, agriculture and economic development. Water scarcity is expected to intensify in regions like the Middle East and North Africa region, which has […]

Cape Town Fashion Week makes a comeback in the Mother City from 22-25 March at Cape Town International Convention Centre with fashion, retail, art, music and tech. It promises to be a show-stopping experience where fashion goes beyond the catwalk. Africa Fashion International (AFI), owner and operator of Cape Town Fashion Week celebrates 15 years […]

Nontsikelelo Zwedala, an activist at the forefront of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) protests in the early 2000s, died this month at the age of 52. We asked Zackie Achmat, TAC leader at the time that Nontsikelelo was active in the organisation, to write an obituary for her. Our soft Ntsiki, with a will of […]

Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, believes that Eskom employees are the heart of resolving the ongoing energy crisis. “My view has always been the biggest asset for any organisation is its workers and the reason we’re starting from the bottom up is to appreciate and understand the efforts being made […]

Corporate misconduct is difficult to detect and prove. This is because it is often hidden by a complicated web of transactions, misleading corporate records and convoluted company group structures. This is why corporate whistleblowers whose positions give them an inside track on misconduct are so important in exposing corporate crime and corruption. But whistleblowers risk […]

On 21 March 1960, apartheid police opened fire on people protesting against the pass laws in Sharpeville, south of Gauteng. Today, the old Sharpeville police station is a place of hope. The Sharpeville Massacre of 1960, in which 69 people died, is commemorated on Human Rights Day. The township, 75 kilometres south of Johannesburg, has potholed roads […]

The immediate public reaction to the death of Gloria Bosman from a short respiratory illness on 14 March 2023 was shock and disbelief. The multiple award-winning South African jazz vocalist, composer and teacher was only 50. She had just launched a new album, Live, her first in a dozen years, and was on the eve […]

Police Minister Bheki Cele has confirmed that it is business as usual with people commuting to work despite the planned national shutdown taking place on Monday. “There has been a few incidents few but I saw nothing indicating a shutdown because a shutdown is when life stops, that is how it is organized. The situation […]

In an interview on eNCA on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) Singabakho Nxumalo said that his department did not have the autopsy report on the body found in the prison cell of convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester.   Almost a year ago, on 3 May 2022, DCS announced that […]

It was meant to be an orphanage for vulnerable children in an impoverished community. So, why are more than one hundred children now being fed from a shack next to the multi-million rand property in Limpopo? Here’s what’s coming up on Carte Blanche this week. You can watch the show on Sunday 19 March in […]

Worldwide, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are seen as the backbone of a thriving economy. They make up a substantial portion of the total number of companies and are estimated to contribute over 87% of all jobs globally. A recent World Economic Forum report showed that major disruptions affect the value chain of SMEs significantly […]

Tens of thousands of years ago, a huge horse species walked, trotted and galloped across the shifting sands of what is today South Africa’s Cape south coast. The Giant Cape Zebra (Equus capensis) weighed an estimated 450 kg. Its extant relatives in southern Africa are far smaller: the plains zebra weighs between 250 and 300 […]

GroundUp has seen photographs of a man who closely resembles “Facebook rapist” Thabo Bester shopping in Woolworths in Sandton City nearly two months after his reported death in prison. The photograph shows him with long hair, wearing a tracksuit and sunglasses. Photos from June 2022 show a man who looks like convicted rapist and murderer […]

Hit musician Giboh Pearson survived the devastating floods in southern Malawi by climbing a mango tree. (Watch videos at bottom of the page of the devastation caused by Cyclone Freddy.) Like many others, Watson Kapalamula and his children and Malawian musician Giboh Pearson survived the floods this week by taking refuge in trees. “By the […]

After a long wait, commuters will, at last, be able to use a train from Nyanga to Cape Town on Monday, when the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) resumes service on part of the Central Line. Cape Town’s Central railway line, closed since 2019, is to partly re-open on Monday, says the Passenger […]

Once one of Cape Town’s foremost social movements, the Social Justice Coalition (SJC) is battling to stay afloat in the midst of investigations into financial mismanagement by a top employee. Former SJC general manager Xolani Klaas made a brief appearance at the Khayelitsha Magistrates Court on Tuesday. He faces charges related to fraud in excess […]

The continent’s biggest and most important travel trade event, Africa Travel Week (ATW) returns to Cape Town from Monday, 3 April to Wednesday, 5 April 2023. The gathering will once again be packed with a selection of top exhibitors, conferences, and buyers from across the continent and the world. Since becoming the official host city of […]

Proudly South African is gearing up to host the #BuyLocalSummit2023, which will take place on 27 and 28 March at the Sandton Convention Centre. The theme is ‘Growing the Economy and Creating Jobs through Localisation’. The Summit and Expo, which enters its 11th iteration this year, promises to delight with a vast array of local […]

GroundUp has uncovered new evidence that reveals suspicious circumstances in the prison fire thought to have killed “Facebook rapist” Thabo Bester. Minutes before a fire broke out in Thabo Bester’s prison cell at the Mangaung Correctional Centre, CCTV cameras observed people hastily leaving the prison. After the fire, a body was found in the cell, […]

The long wait for a Cape Town Refugee Reception Office will finally come to an end on Monday. A new office on Grenville Avenue in Epping is expected to open its doors officially for asylum and refugee services on 20 March. The Cape Town Refugee Reception Office is expected to officially open its doors for […]

The Cape Town Carnival, one of the Mother City’s most popular street festivals, returns to its classic format for the first time in four years. Join thousands in celebrating diversity, culture, the arts, and community at the extravaganza. More than 1 600 performers are set to take centre stage at the Cape Town Carnival’s first street […]

The old Robbie Nurock Day Hospital in Buitenkant Street, Cape Town, will not be converted into a shelter for homeless people as planned. The R4.5-million renovation of the building would have added 120 beds. But an alternative site has been found. Premier Alan Winde told the Western Cape Parliament last week, “When the contractors went in, there […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has told new ambassadors from across the world that South Africa’s most immediate and pressing task is to stabilise the supply of electricity and to ensure energy security into the future. The President said this while welcoming 18 new Heads of Mission-Designate. The Heads of Mission-Designate presented their Letters of Credence to […]

Expectant mothers sleeping on chairs and hospital floors, crumbling infrastructure, management deficiencies, and a paediatric and child health facility with no blood bank, laboratory facility or intensive care unit (ICU). These are some of the damning findings contained in the report of the Health Ombudsman, Professor Malegapuru Makgoba, who was tasked with investigating allegations against […]