#AlexTotalShutDown organisers rubbish claims it is anti-poor and xenophobic
Alexandra was shutdown by protestors on Wednesday demanding that the deterioration of the township be stopped.
Ramatamo wa Matamong
Organisations and government disagree on decriminalisation of sex work
The recent debate on the decriminalisation of sex work, organised by Mail and Guardian and the South African National Aids Council (SANAC), provided no solution but a screaming match between those supporting it and those against.
“Taxi industry is no longer lucrative”
When they took to the streets on the 15th of June 2017, marching against SA Taxi Finance, they brought the country’s economic hub to a […]
Thousands march to the Union Building
South African march to the Union Buildings calling for President Zuma to step down.
Crime and poverty: recipe for xenophobia
A recent media briefing by groups that are concerned about the ongoing xenophobic attacks has blamed the lack of service delivery by the government. In […]
Domestic workers’ union says the proposed minimum wage is too little
Whilst delivering his speech on the proposed minimum wage of R3,500 a month, Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa said that the national minimum wage was aimed at reducing income poverty and inequality. The advisory panel which was looking into the the issue proposed that wages in the domestic work sector should be set at 75% of the proposed national minimum wage. In a report released in June by The National Minimum Wage Research Initiative of the School of Economic and Business Sciences at the University of Witwatersrand, 90% of domestic workers earn less than R3,120 a month.
Gauteng floods leave the poor in misery
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
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.
Alex sports bodies lament lack of facilities
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.
Bread price hikes hit the poor hardest
The Congress of South African Trade Unions, COSATU, has accused food companies of exploiting the poor by increasing bread prices at a time when the cost of wheat has come down.
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