Johannesburg

Gauteng floods leave the poor in misery

28th November 2016 Ramatamo wa Matamong 0

It will take a long time for the poor to recover from storms that have wrecked homes, especially those in informal settlements like Stjwetla situated on the edge of the Juskei river in Alexandra.
A week of floods as a result of torrential rain in some parts of Gauteng has left many people devastated. Cars and houses were damaged. Above all, eight people lost their lives. While others are saying this is an act of God, others are blaming poor storm water drainage as the cause of the damage. Affected regions were Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.

Forced to sign with Smart Purse

14th November 2016 Ramatamo wa Matamong 0

An outsourced company has been failing careworkers in Gauteng.
After protesting for three months against their employment being outsourced by the Gauteng Department of Health, community health care workers including those in Alexandra said they have given up the fight.
They eventually decided to sign up with the outsourced company, Smart Purse, because they were locked out and not allowed to work.

Lack of electricity sparks protests in Los Angeles

14th November 2016 Unathi Tuta 0

Tyres and rubbish were burnt on Swartklip Road by residents of Los Angeles informal settlement near Driftsands recently as they were demanding that electricity be supplied to their area.
Los Angeles resident, Nosethu Balintulo, said the provision of electricity  had been promised many times by City officials, but nothing has been delivered.

Alex sports bodies lament lack of facilities

11th October 2016 Ramatamo wa Matamong 0

Alexandra, one of the oldest townships in the country, is synonymous with producing high profile individuals who have raised the country’s flag high in various sectors.  In music, it has produced Hugh Masekela and Caiphus Semenya. In politics there is Paul Mashatile and Kgalema Motlanthe while in sports the list is endless. The names of Shoes Moshoeu, Brian Baloyi, Shakes Kungoane and Maimane Alfred Phiri quickly come to mind as those who have excelled on the international sporting stage.

Kliptown residents want houses as promised in the Freedom Charter

26th July 2016 Ramatamo wa Matamong 0

Adopted in Kliptown in 1955, the Freedom Charter and its demands became a rallying point for many in the struggle against apartheid. Sixty one years later, the Charter has consistently been at the centre of key theoretical and political debates.
When Kliptown residents see different political parties flooding their area, informal settlement residents of the iconic Kliptown in the South of Johannesburg don’t need to look at their calendar to confirm that it is election season.

Family of murdered Mozambican migrant still hurting

21st June 2016 Ramatamo wa Matamong 0

A year after their beloved son was brutally murdered in a xenophobic attack in Alexandra, the family of the late Emmanuel Sithole, a Mozambican national, wants closure.
Sithole, who at the time was making a living by selling cigarettes and snacks on the pavement, died on the 18th of April 2015 of stab wounds inflicted by four local thugs who refused to pay for a cigarette that they took from him.

Orange Farm protestors demand the removal of councillor

25th May 2016 Dibuseng Phaloane 0

Prolonged violent service delivery protest in Orange Farm south of Johannesburg caused disruptions that brought the township to a stand still.
The Golden and N1 highways were both closed with burning tyres and rocks causing traffic jams in and around Orange Farm.  The number of schools closed increased from 4 to 12 in just 3 days. Students were forced to join the protest. Foreign shop owners donated hundreds of loaves of bread and drinks to protesters to avoid looting of their shops after one of them shot and wounded a 15 year-old boy who was allegedly trying to loot during the protest.

Shulana Court evicted via the backdoor

8th December 2015 Nicolas Dieltiens 0

Shulana Court is a small, building in Yeoville close to Hillbrow. Seventy-odd year-old Aaron Mbatha, stayed there for over 20 years until he and all the other residents were thrown out. The Hawks descended on the building, searching for four members of the tenants’ committee. Just two were unfortunate to be at home at the time, but the police arrested all the residents.

Learner by day parent at night

8th December 2015 Dibuseng Phaloane 0

The Department of Basic Education has reported that there were 20,000 learner pregnancies in 2014. The highest number of pregnancies was in Gauteng with over 5,000 and the Eastern Cape at over 3,000. According to the list of schools with high pregnancy rates, Jabulile Secondary in Orange Farm had 32 learners, Botebo-Tsebo in Sebokeng (Unit 14) 48 learners and Esokwazi in Unit 8 in Sebokeng had 51 cases of pregnancy.

#WitsFeesMustFall

8th December 2015 Nicolas Dieltiens 0

The student strike at Wits University gained momentum when the vice chancellor and his executive deadlocked in negotiations with maybe 2,000 students in the occupied Senate House (renamed Solomon Mahlangu House) over a fee hike of 10.5% for next year.