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The National Freedom Party (NFP) has launched a scathing attack on KwaZulu-Natal’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), with its President, Ivan Barnes, announcing the party is reconsidering its participation due to profound concerns over corruption, maladministration, and a toxic culture of exclusion. The announcement comes as the provincial legislature prepares to debate a motion of […]

A multi-agency police operation has descended on liquor outlets in Mankweng, outside Polokwane, resulting in multiple arrests and the seizure of illegal cigarettes and dagga. The coordinated raids are part of a broader provincial safety strategy focused on two key objectives: enforcing liquor laws to create a quiet environment for students writing final exams and

A coalition of civil society groups gathered outside the Johannesburg Council Chambers in Braamfontein on Sunday, demanding immediate and equitable action from Mayor Dada Morero to resolve a water crisis they describe as a deepening “human rights and economic emergency.” The protest, organized under the banner of groups like WaterCan, drew residents from across the

Families have had to vacate their homes in SST section of Town Two, Khayelitsha, as the ground beneath them has collapsed. When the ground opens up, the shacks are engulfed by a terrible stench. Community leader Mzikazi Twani said she has counted eight such incidents recently. Collapsing sewer pipes are the cause. GroundUp reported on

Living conditions for residents of Mamelodi Hostel appear to have deteriorated since GroundUp last reported on it in October 2022. More windows are broken, as well as door handles. And the roof is leaking. Dirty water from broken toilets and showers flows in front of some rooms. Human waste and rubbish are visible on the

The South African National Association for Special Education (SANASE) has urged schools to re-open in KwaZulu-Natal after a meeting with Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli in which he promised to meet some of their demands. The schools have been closed since term started on 13 October in protest against lack of funds, shortages of staff and inadequate

More than ten years after the death of Michael Komape in a pit toilet prompted promises to fix toilets in schools, several schools in Limpopo are still battling. A GroundUp visit found one school still had pit toilet. In others, toilets were broken and filthy. Some schools still had mobile toilets introduced years ago as

Residents of Ngcobo have vowed to continue protesting until police find 19-year-old Linamandla Xhosana, who went missing on Monday, 13 October. On Thursday, the town was shut down as residents marched to the police station demanding answers. They accused the police of responding slowly to the case. Police fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

At least seven villages and Vyeboom Clinic near Vuwani, Limpopo, have been without running water for nearly two years. The borehole has run dry and it relies on water tanker supply, which appears to be inconsistent. Residents buy water with their SASSA grants and at the clinic staff and patients must often fetch water from

The two-year-delayed R37-million Vhuilafuri Stadium in Madabani, west of Louis Trichardt, has at last been handed over to the community. But it cannot be used for soccer because the grass for the pitch has not grown due to a shortage of water. Three boreholes were drilled, but only one produces water, and it is not