GroundUp

But Prasa denies it did anything

Attorney Jonty Cogger asked the Cape High Court on Friday to instruct the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) to return the building material confiscated from 38 people who had been living on land along Old Marine Drive on the Cape Town Foreshore.… Read more

Elderly homeless man stabbed by guard during apparent unlawful eviction

Scores of homeless people who have been living next to Old Marine Drive on the Cape Town Foreshore for about a decade had their shelters destroyed by PRASA Protection Services and contracted security guards last week.… Read more

Bo-Kaap residents appeal City’s decision to approve a new six-storey development in the historic suburb

By Matthew Hirsch/GroundUp

A new six-storey development planned for the Bo-Kaap will significantly impact the heritage of the picturesque, historic suburb in Cape Town, say local residents.… Read more

Matthew Hirsch/GroundUp

A new 300-bed shelter for homeless people in Green Point run by the City of Cape Town opened its doors on Monday.

This is one of five Safe Spaces for homeless people funded by the City.

The site for the shelter, at the municipal depot on Ebenezer Road, was approved by the City’s municipal planning tribunal in July last year following extensive public participation.… Read more

Providing a guaranteed minimum level of income frees people from vicious cycles of poverty, says Archbishop Thabo Makgoba

By Marecia Damons/GroudUp

Hundreds of churches have joined civil society’s call for the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant to be made permanent and become a universal basic income grant (UBIG).… Read more

​The Haven’s shelters are already 85% full

Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp

Shelters for homeless people across Cape Town are filling up as winter bites. The Haven, which has 14 shelters and 1,300 beds, says the shelters are already 85% full.

While the weather is good, says Haven CEO Shaddie Valayadum, it is possible to make money on the streets.… Read more

​Temporary relocation of families occupying central line contravened municipal by-laws

By Sandiso Phaliso/GroundUp

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has been fined R25,000 for contravening the City of Cape Town zoning laws when it relocated hundreds of families who had erected shacks on the central railway line tracks to a site in Philippi East.… Read more

Judge puts strict conditions on the way the eviction must be carried out and emphasises that the city also belongs to the evictees, as it does to those who live in mansions

The City of Cape Town has been given the green light to evict about 200 people living on the pavement at several inner-city sites.… Read more

The State Land Disposal Act allows the President to fast track the use of public land

By Matthew Hirsch/GroundUp

President Cyril Ramaphosa has instructed the ministers of Human Settlements and Public Works to investigate demands by housing activists for land to be redistributed to communities, says Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya.… Read more