Holding power to account
GroundUp 
Construction of a hotel on a vacant plot in the Bo-Kaap in Cape Town is to go ahead, but it will be three storeys lower than the original plan.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has confirmed the decision by the City of Cape Town’s Municipal Planning Tribunal to approve the development on Buitengracht Street.… Read more
The Western Cape Provincial Government has revealed its plans to build affordable and social housing at the long-contested Tafelberg site in Sea Point.
During a public meeting at the Life Conference Centre in Sea Point on Wednesday evening, three options were presented.… Read more
By Peter Luhanga/GroundUp
Trouble flared up for the third day on Wednesday in Dunoon as protesters from Ezihagwini informal settlement vented their fury over the demolition of brick walls a resident had erected in an attempt to build a home.… Read more
By Tania Broughton/GroundUp
Thomas Leyland Torr, reportedly an aspiring comedian, has been found guilty of hate speech in the Equality Court, sitting in the Western Cape High Court.… Read more
Israeli-born legal scholar Dr Noam Peleg gave this year’s Yoliswa Dwane Lecture on 6 May. The annual lecture is hosted by Equal Education and UCT’s Centre for Law and Society, in memory of activist and Equal Education co-founder Yoliswa Dwane who died of cancer in 2022.… Read more
Liezl Human/GroundUp
Hundreds of coloured families were forcibly removed from Constantia in the 1960s and ‘70s under the apartheid Group Areas Act but a fifth-generation flower farming family is bringing their rich history to life.… Read more
By Chantel Sampson/GroundUp
My name is Chantel Sampson. I was a homeless person for six years. I lived at the foot of Table Mountain from 2018 onwards. You probably walked past me if you visited Van Riebeeck Park in Vredehoek.… Read more
A group of water justice researchers has warned against the City of Cape Town’s proposal to “externalise” the implementation and operation of the Faure New Water Scheme.… Read more
Matthew Hirsch and Daniel Steyn/GroundUp
MEC for Western Cape Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers announced this week that he intends to finalise the tenders for three major inner-city housing projects built on state-owned land in Cape Town.… Read more
By Marecia Damons/GroundUp
The Department of Social Development is proposing changes to the Social Assistance Act, including removing questions about the income of applicants for the R370-a-month Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant.
The proposed amendments are open for public comment until Monday, 14 April.… Read more