News

Zeekoevlei is used by schools and clubs for sailing and rowing but a toxic algal bloom has led to it being closed since December

By Matthew Hirsch/GroundUp

Zeekoevlei, which is used by numerous sailing, rowing, and other recreational clubs, has been closed since December due to dangerous levels of toxins caused by algal blooms.… Read more

Funding is secured, but about 50 families living in an informal settlement still need to be relocated

By Matthew Hirsch

Funding has been secured to build social housing at the Salt River Market site, but about 50 families living in an informal settlement on the property still need to be relocated.… Read more

Short-term letting through various platforms, including Airbnb, locks up 70% of residential units in the central city

There is a severe shortage of rental stock for local residents in Cape Town’s inner city, and what is available is priced beyond the reach of the majority of Capetonians.… Read more

“Hopefully, the next generation will perhaps benefit,” says 77-year-old claimant

By Matthew Hirsch

While successful claimants wait for the government to secure funding to complete the long-awaited redevelopment of District Six, more than 700 further claimants might not live to see their rights restored.… Read more

Scientists show pollution of the estuary is not sufficiently diluted, but persists in the environment

Sewage pollution is believed to be causing the persistent presence of drugs such as paracetamol and antibiotics in the ecologically important Zandvlei Estuary at Muizenberg, Cape Town.… Read more

Subsidies on water, sanitation, and refuse charges for indigent households and homes caring for vulnerable people have not necessarily been automatically applied since 1 July

• Homes catering for the disabled are supposed to benefit from rates rebates and service charge subsidies under the City’s new 2025/26 budget.

The hearing was originally set down for July 2024 but will now only be heard in April 2026

By Mary-Anne Gontsana/GroundUp

The trial in the Mowbray torture case involving three police officers will only be heard in April next year.

The case has been postponed eight times between 25 July 2024 and 19 September 2025 “at the behest of the defence”, according to the state.… Read more

Aliens are easier to remove, but the window is small

By Liezl Human/GroundUp

“Alien plants are relentless, but we are relentless as well,” says Raymond Chinembiri, team leader at the Sugarbird Project, an organisation dedicated to removing invasive plants in the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP).… Read more

The National Film and Video Foundation has had six CEOs in two-and-a-half years

• At a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee meeting last week questions were raised about the procedures involved in appointing the current NFVF board and acting CEOs.
• Department of Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie was accused by MPs of destabilising the NFVF for political ends.

MPs are not convinced enough is being done

SANParks CEO Hapiloe Sello says resources are being allocated to fight crime on Table Mountain, but she acknowledged that it may not be enough.

Sello was briefing Parliament’s portfolio committee on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries on Tuesday.… Read more