October 2026 - Mother City News

Man dies in fire in Observatory informal settlement

15 October 2026 by GroundUp

A fire ripped through Singabalapha on Wednesday

By Mary-Anne Gontsana

One man died and at least three structures were gutted in a fire that ripped through Singabalapha informal settlement in Observatory in the early hours of Wednesday.

According to the City of Cape Town’s fire and rescue spokesperson Jermaine Carelse, firefighters got the call before 3am on Wednesday.… Read more

Affordable housing: Many promises, limited delivery

15 October 2026 by GroundUp

Lack of national government social housing grants hobble the City’s plans for 28,400 affordable homes

The City of Cape Town has told the Western Cape High Court it plans about 28,400 affordable homes.
But none of the affordable housing projects the City has approved since 2017 for the CBD, Woodstock, Salt River, Observatory or Sea Point has been finished.

Recent Stories

Man dies in fire in Observatory informal settlement

GroundUpA fire ripped through Singabalapha on Wednesday By Mary-Anne Gontsana One man died and at least three structures were gutted in a fire that ripped through Singabalapha informal settlement in Observatory in the early hours of Wednesday. According to the City of Cape Town’s fire and rescue spokesperson Jermaine Carelse, firefighters got the call before 3am on Wednesday.… Read more [...] Read more...

Affordable housing: Many promises, limited delivery

GroundUpLack of national government social housing grants hobble the City’s plans for 28,400 affordable homes The City of Cape Town has told the Western Cape High Court it plans about 28,400 affordable homes. But none of the affordable housing projects the City has approved since 2017 for the CBD, Woodstock, Salt River, Observatory or Sea Point has been finished.… Read more [...] Read more...

New by-law puts the brakes on ‘Airbnb effect’

Steve KretzmannSome short-term letting properties could pay three times as much when subject to commercial rates A new by-law seeks to regulate short-term rentals in Cape Town by enforcing registration and imposing commercial rates on properties let out on a short-term basis for 183 days or more per year.… Read more [...] Read more...

Consultation over proposed data centre never happened, say residents

GroundUpAn appeal against rezoning has temporarily halted plans By Alice Scott/GroundUp Bishop Lavis community leader Michael Hoffmeester lives less than three kilometres from King Air Industria where a hyperscale data centre has been proposed for Cape Town. He said he has been struggling to answer questions from the community about the data centre.… Read more [...] Read more...

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness contains the poetry of profound observation

Steve KretzmannArundhati Roy does not flinch from facing the void. Her second novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, takes us deep into the contradictions within Indian society. Northern India at least, for the novel centres on Delhi, which in itself has a surfeit of human nature’s dark side.… Read more [...] Read more...

Standard Bank records 17% rise in home loan disbursements

AdvertiserStandard Bank says smaller properties could help aspiring buyers enter the market and build equity Standard Bank’s home loan disbursements rose by 17% in the first half of 2026. Its declining credit loss ratio suggests home owners are continuing to manage their repayments.… Read more [...] Read more...

SA’s first Grand Prix a playground for Soviet spy

ContributorThird-placed driver later recruited by Russian intelligence By Glenn Hollands Wealthy American heir Michael Straight borrowed a bi-plane to fly about 11 000 km to compete in the first South African Grand Prix held in East London (now KuGompo) in 1934. The aircraft, pictured here at the Woodbrook airfield, was piloted by Michael’s bother Whitney who raced to victory at the iconic race.… Read more [...] Read more...

Your October gig guide

Rosa-Karoo LoeweThis warm weather is making it feel like Dezemba, and whilst most of us are dragging ourselves towards the end of the year, there are lekka pit stops to refuel your creative cup. Enjoy! Theatre & Performance Chopped. Sliced. Diced. The Craving is an immersive psychological thriller staged inside a ‘restaurant’ at The Outlore Base on Hout St.… Read more [...] Read more...

Observatory occupiers “at the mercy of the City and Gugulethu residents”

GroundUpThe High Court has ordered Singabalapha residents to leave by 30 November By Mary-Anne Gontsana/GroundUp The deadline for people living along the Main Road in Observatory to vacate the site is looming, but many of them say they still don’t know where they will go.… Read more [...] Read more...

Cape Town desalination plans delayed as water demand soars

Steve KretzmannLatest Water Outlook report paints a worrying picture for coming years The City of Cape Town’s New Water Programme is only expected to be fully operational by 2036, yet demand is expected to exceed current dam water allocation in two years.… Read more [...] Read more...

CPUT agrees to some student demands

Steve KretzmannViolent protests related to the NSFAS funding cap, among other demands, have rocked Cape Peninsula University of Technology campuses over the past month Some of the demands made by protesting Cape Peninsula University of Technology students have been met by the university management.… Read more [...] Read more...

Students carry cost of NSFAS funding cap, Parliament hears

GroundUpCalls for accommodation cap to be scrapped or redesigned By Liezl Human The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) accommodation funding cap has not managed to curb high student housing prices. Instead, it has been used as a “price signal” for service providers to push up rents, Minister of Higher Education and Training Buti Manamela told Parliament’s portfolio committee for higher education on 28 August.… Read more [...] Read more...

Closure of St Luke’s inpatient unit shuts a door on the dying

GroundUpWhile most people prefer to die at home, a minority desperately need specialist care that can only be provided in an institution By Marecia Damons St Luke’s is a much respected institution that has been looking after people with life-threatening illnesses in Cape Town since 1980.… Read more [...] Read more...

Some beef with your Burgundy

Sadé AllcockBoeuf Bourguignon, or as my boyfriend likes to call it, Beef Burgundy (this is less pretentious, he would say), is an old French recipe for what is essentially a beef stew. There are so many variations that it can be frustrating finding a definitive “right” way to make it.… Read more [...] Read more...

Beetles swarm Burger Fair

Bobby NitroThere are few automobiles that can turn a car gathering into something resembling a family reunion quite like the Volkswagen Beetle. With their unmistakable silhouettes and cheerful headlights, Beetles attract attention wherever they go, and especially when they travel in a ‘swarm’.… Read more [...] Read more...

September Gig Guide

Rosa-Karoo LoeweIt’s Open Book month, WOMAD is coming to town, and the Cape Town Photo Fest is on. Then there’s all the theatre and music and general spring jols to be had. Theatre We have a deep loyalty to ABBA. It’s pure, straight-into-the-veins fun.… Read more [...] Read more...

Tax scams involving fake links and QR codes on the rise – Standard Bank

AdvertiserAs the 2026 tax season gets underway, fraudsters are targeting unsuspecting taxpayers, warns Standard Bank. Historically, these criminals ramp up activity as tax season approaches, with the sole intent of defrauding consumers. “We’ve seen many cases where fraudsters send bait communication through text, email, WhatsApp or phone calls.… Read more [...] Read more...

PRASA denies paying gangster-linked companies in Cape Town

Steve KretzmannBut amaBhungane disputes “straw-man” findings PRASA says an independent investigation found no evidence it contracted with or paid alleged gang boss Ralph Stanfield or his wife, Nicole Johnson, or their linked companies. But amaBhungane says the investigation failed to address the allegations in its reporting and lacked access to key evidence, including PRASA’s former security chief’s devices.… Read more [...] Read more...

Court to rule on fate of families occupying Cape Town buildings

GroundUpMore than 150 people face eviction from three abandoned buildings in Hope Street By Matthew Hirsch/GroundUp Caroline Abrahams just turned 56 but says she has nothing to celebrate. She is one of over 150 people whose lives are in limbo as they face being evicted from three abandoned buildings in Cape Town’s Hope Street.… Read more [...] Read more...

New battle looms over future of Tokai and Cecilia pine plantations

GroundUpSANParks ordered by forestry department to clear all remaining pines By John Yeld/GroundUp A new push to promote ecological restoration in the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) and reduce fire risk could see the removal of all remaining pine trees and other invasives from former plantation areas at Tokai and Cecilia.… Read more [...] Read more...

Books on our bedside table this August

ContributorHome Affairs by Onyeka Nwelue Lethabo Khumalo, a weary Home Affairs official in Pietermaritzburg, is a mother of three who has long carried life alone until a chance encounter draws her into a web of corruption that promises relief from the quiet depression of unpaid bills and leaking roofs.… Read more [...] Read more...

Buckland takes on the techbros

Steve KretzmannYou can’t escape the bastards. They’ve inserted their insidious fingers into so many aspects of life that it is almost impossible to earn a living without being smeared by their grimy greed. You can run an open-source Linux operating system on your computer, have no social media accounts, and use one of the many alternative browsers to Google, but you’re making a billionaire richer the moment you buy something online.… Read more [...] Read more...

Straathond bares its teeth at Killarney

Bobby NitroAppearances can be deceptive, especially when it comes to the world of drag racing. Most people expect fire-breathing V8s, purpose-built race cars, so when a humble Nissan Champ bakkie pulls up to the start line, most would not expect it to be a serious contender.… Read more [...] Read more...

Your August gig guide

Rosa-Karoo LoeweThere’s no better time to cosy up in a theatre, feel some feels, sing along, or be moved by the spirit. A hearty mix of shows return to the stage, the opening of a new theatre in Kloof Street (go try their spirits!)… Read more [...] Read more...

Metrorail doesn’t move for wheelchair users

GroundUpThe “people’s train” doesn’t include people with disabilities By Mary-Anne Gontsana In 2016, the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) promised to make all its stations accessible to wheelchair users. Ten years later, this is an empty promise, as we found when we accompanied wheelchair user Khanyo Mantshi on a journey in Cape Town.… Read more [...] Read more...

Giant data centres get first green light from Cape Town tribunal

Steve KretzmannTwo massive water-hungry and energy-hungry data centres are proposed next to the airport An application that paves the way for two new data centres totalling more than 120,000 square metres in Cape Town’s airport industrial area has been approved by the Municipal Planning Tribunal.… Read more [...] Read more...

Oude Molen: Province forges ahead despite heritage report rejection

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City plans to auction Mowbray Market site

GroundUpSmallholder farmers from rural towns as far afield as Calitzdorp, Suurbraak, and Genadendal rely on the monthly market By Liezl Human The Mowbray Market has been operating on the first Saturday of every month for the past four years, but the a lease on the property has expired and the City is now considering auctioning the lease to the highest bidder.… Read more [...] Read more...

A spoon full of sugar

Sadé AllcockI’ve always had a sweet tooth, but have long believed that sweet wine is, well… a little bit shit. Oh, how wrong I’ve been. For the record, I do think the whole sweet wine scene, especially in South Africa, is all a bit confusing to most people.… Read more [...] Read more...

Mother City gets gassed

Jackie CruzeThe Gas Motorshow National Tour made a pitstop at Granger Bay recently Cape Town has become one of South Africa’s premier sources of automotive culture, so just recently the Gas Motorshow National Tour made a stop in the Mother City ahead of the national event.… Read more [...] Read more...