Man accused of assault in Xolobeni is ANC election candidate

11th August 2016 GroundUp 0

An ANC candidate in the Xolobeni area has been accused of assaulting four people at the funeral of activist Sikhosiphi ‘Bazooka’ Rhadebe. Ntethelelo Madikizela, accused of assaulting two journalists and two activists in April, is the ANC candidate for the Xolobeni area.
He has denied any involvement in the attacks. Nigel Sibanda and Simnikiwe Hlatshaneni from The Citizen, and Moses Mbuthuma and Luthando Ndovela from the Amadiba Crisis Committee, were attacked during the 2 April funeral of murdered Sikhosiphi ‘Bazooka’ Rhadebe, chair of the Amadiba Crisis Committee, an organisation that is strongly opposed to the titanium mining project in the area. An affidavit from Mbuthuma and a statement from Ndovela, together with supporting affidavits from people who arrived on the scene following the attack, were given to the police at a stand the SAPS had set up on 19 July at an imbizo in Xolobeni.

Khayelitsha Cycling club is changing young people’s lives

26th July 2016 Bernard Chiguvare 0

It has barely been a few years since the club was formed but it has already made an impact on young people’s lives in Khayelitsha
In the heart of Khayelitsha, one of the oldest black townships, where crime is the order of the day, is a Cycle Academy known as  Bonga Cycle Academy. It’s aim is to draw youth’s attention from township ills towards healthy sport and exercise.

Understanding the history, content and character of ‘violent’ protest

26th July 2016 Dale McKinley 0

Dale McKinley argues that the response of the police is the source of violence during protests.
If we are to believe the mainstream media and most political parties then it would appear as though South Africa is under a massive assault from ‘violent’ protests.
According to this storyline, it is the protestors (whether community members, organised workers or other political/social activists) who are blindly engaging in ever-increasing acts of wanton violence. In doing so, the argument goes, such ‘violence’ is undermining the ‘peace and stability’ of the ‘nation’ as well as the ‘rule of law’ which is being defended by the ANC/state, the police and law-abiding citizens.

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.

No lack of service delivery will stop us from voting say Duncan Village residents

26th July 2016 Elitsha reporters 0

If it is not blocked toilets, then it’s garbage piling up next to people’s homes. But the community of Duncan Village in East London say they know the importance of voting.
It was a sunny Sunday when Elitsha visited the area. Most people were busy doing their washing, some sitting next to their shacks. There were political party representatives who were busy doing door to door campaigning.

Informal settlement residents turn to pay TV

26th July 2016 Mandla Mnyakama 0

Several DSTV dishes appear dotted on shack rooftops as you drive past the area from the N2 Highway near Borcherds Quarry in Cape Town.
Kanana Informal Settlement adjacent to Barcelona in Gugulethu was established in 1992 and consists of about 4,000 residents.
The area is hit hard by floods every winter as well as shack fires that sometimes result in deaths.
This densely populated shack settlement has been electrified and has got 1,214 bucket system toilets with some residents sharing them while others got toilets installed in their homes.
There are also more than 40 communal water taps.
Local residents say they enjoy pay TV because it not only helps to update them on international entertainment but also prevents their children from loitering after school, especially during the winter school holidays, keeping them indoors.

SADTU denial gives ammunition to union bashers

21st June 2016 Terry Bell 0

The education system is in crisis. Senior educator posts in some schools have been sold by unscrupulous union members, often working together with education department officials; recent studies reveal that many teachers responsible for tuition in English do not even have the vocabulary expected of grade three learners;  and, in many schools, less than half the curriculum is covered by the end of every year.
These are carefully researched facts. Yet, when the ‘posts for sale’ scandal surfaced again last week, the reaction by the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) was denial, accompanied by often vociferous accusations of political conspiracies and “union bashing”.

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.

Foreign shop owners still struggling

21st June 2016 Bernard Chiguvare 0

Most foreign national shop owners in Dunoon are struggling to re-establish their businesses a month after the shops were looted by the residents following housing protests.
Some have completely closed down and moved to other places while others have gone back to their respective countries. Elitsha tried to call some shop owners whose shops were closed but they never answered the calls.

40 years on – still no quality public education!

21st June 2016 Mzi Velapi 0

1976 marks the year when students in Soweto and throughout the country stood up against the apartheid regime and fought for quality education.
2016: fast-forward 40 years, the dream of public quality education has not been realized after 22 years of democracy. Elitsha has been consistently covering stories about the lack of quality public education. From Ikhwezi Lesizwe Primary school in Khayelitsha to Gordon Primary school in Alexandra township in Johannesburg to Chubekile Senior Secondary School in Kwa-Zakhele in Port Elizabeth.