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Mary Waters High School in Makhanda has insufficient tablets for its matrics. “Overall, the project was a complete failure for the school,” a teacher said. “Building a computer lab would have been better and would have given our learners more skills. The computer lab would be for everyone, and it would be strictly monitored.” The school has zero ICT infrastructure. Archive photo: Lucas Nowicki / GroundUp

Primary & Secondary Education

Lost or locked in cupboards: Inside the R686m Eastern Cape matric tablet programme

Gcina Ntsaluba, Zipho Ndwayana and Rod Amner 2 hours

Ekapa Minerals’ diamond mine in Kimberly has been placed into business rescue after a court challenge by NUMSA. Photo supplied

Mining

Numsa wins bid to block liquidation of diamond mine

Greg Dor 2 days

Rubbish piles up near a park in Nyanga. Photos: Emihle Ngwane

Circular Economy & Waste Management

Battle to stop illegal dumping in Cape Town’s townships

Emihle Ngwane 6 Aug 2026

The Johannesburg High Court has ruled that public office bearers in Chapter Nine institutions are not “workers” entitled to benefits beyond what is laid down in the relevant statutes. Illustration: Lisa Nelson / GroundUp

Labour Law

Chapter 9 commissioners are not workers, High Court rules

Tania Broughton 6 Aug 2026

South Africa needs data centres, but not without transparency

Data & Analytics

South Africa needs data centres, but not without transparency

Tyronne McCrindle 5 Aug 2026

An acting judge in the Johannesburg High Court will have to explain himself to the Legal Practice Council over the use of fictitious and incorrect legal citations in their judgment. Illustration: Bronwyn Webb / GroundUp

Law Practice

Acting judge told to explain possible AI ‘hallucinations’ in judgment

Tania Broughton 5 Aug 2026

Social grant beneficiaries have until 31 August to switch from the Sassa Gold Card to the Postbank Black Card. Archive photo: supplied

Health & Social Welfare

Sassa Gold Card: 280,000 people still need to switch

Marecia Damons 30 Jul 2026

Auto strike will set a precedent, says union

Commercial & Industrial

Auto strike will set a precedent, says union

Greg Dor 29 Jul 2026

Source: GroundUp/Ashraf Hendricks. Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana has warned that non-compliant municipalities are “not off the hook”.

Infrastructure & Utilities

National Treasury to unfreeze funds to municipalities

Liezl Human 28 Jul 2026

Harvesting pine trees in the Dennedal compartment of Lower Tokai on 30 August 2016. Work was halted later that day by an urgent High Court interdict. Photos: John Yeld

Environment & Natural Resources

New battle looms over future of Tokai and Cecilia pine plantations

John Yeld 28 Jul 2026

The Labour Court has ruled that nine employees fired for picketing were in fact practising wedding songs. Illustration: Lisa Nelson / GroundUp

Labour Law

Worker “picket” may have been a wedding rehearsal, says court

Tania Broughton 22 Jul 2026

Image credit: Sassa

Health & Social Welfare

From WhatsApp to queues and 350k reviews: Sassa to save R1.5bn

22 Jul 2026

Judge who has not worked since 2018 to face tribunal

Legislation & Regulation

Judge who has not worked since 2018 to face tribunal

Tania Broughton 17 Jul 2026

Giant data centres get the first green light from Cape Town tribunal

Data & Analytics

Giant data centres get the first green light from Cape Town tribunal

Steve Kretzmann 15 Jul 2026

Labour court rules against racist owner of a dog called “Hitler”

Labour Law

Labour court rules against racist owner of a dog called “Hitler”

Tania Broughton 14 Jul 2026

Judge ordered to apologise to litigants for year-long delay

Legal

Judge ordered to apologise to litigants for year-long delay

Tania Broughton 13 Jul 2026

Tuberculosis

No DNA, just RSA: South African TB study sets new global standards

3 Jul 2026

A former awaiting-trial prisoner has been awarded more than R1-million after contracting tuberculosis in Pollsmoor Prison from June 2000 to August 2003. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp

Medical Law

21-year court battle over TB in prisons ends in R1m payout

Tania Broughton 1 Jul 2026

Source: Supplied. A photograph of the outbuildings and farmhouse comprising the Mouton House in McGregor, taken in 2018 before it was completely stripped by vandals.

Property

Heritage farmhouse in McGregor unlawfully demolished by municipality

Steve Kretzmann 26 Jun 2026

The Department of Social Development underspent on social grants in the 2025/26 financial year. Illustration: Lisa Nelson

Health & Social Welfare

R4.8-billion meant for social grants goes unspent

Marecia Damons 25 Jun 2026

The Equality Court has found traditional leader and “influencer” Ngizwe Mchunu guilty of hate speech, harassment and discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender people. Illustration: Bronwyn Webb / GroundUp

Human Rights Law

Equality Court slams Ngizwe Mchunu for homophobic hate speech

Tania Broughton 22 Jun 2026

Legal Practice Council says it has disciplined legal practitioners who fail to deliver judgments after their terms as an acting judge end. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks / GroundUp

Law Practice

Who holds acting judges accountable for late judgments?

Marecia Damons 17 Jun 2026

Source: GroundUp/Joseph Bracken.

Affordable & Social Housing

Hundreds protest new land occupation law in Durban and Joburg

Joseph Bracken, Ihsaan Haffejee and Tsoanelo Sefoloko 17 Jun 2026

Source: GroundUp/Kimberly Mutandiro. Johan Swanepoel and his partner, Wilma De Villiers, outside their home at Sondela Village.

Affordable & Social Housing

Hundreds of families face eviction from “hijacked” social housing estate

Kimberly Mutandiro 11 Jun 2026

Tongaat head office stripped of expensive paintings and antiques ahead of a possible visit by liquidators. Photo supplied

Corporate & Commercial Law

Tongaat Hulett faces liquidation hearing

Tania Broughton 11 Jun 2026

Housing activists protesting at the Cape Town Civic Centre in 2021. Archive photo: Liezl Human/GroundUp

Land & Property Law

Draft Bill on evictions puts tenants at risk

Lee-Anne Gaertner, Thuto Gabaphethe, Lulama Madyaka and Robert Krause 10 Jun 2026

The gravel bed on the right is where part of the Transnet line was uplifted at Sterkstroom in late 2012. Photo: Steve Kretzmann / GroundUp

Criminal Law

Prasa rail theft case: Virtual testimony accepted

Steve Kretzmann 9 Jun 2026

Source: Pexels.

Property

Belhar residents demand halt to housing project

8 Jun 2026

Source: GroundUp/Joseph Bracken and Tsoanelo Sefoloko

Affordable & Social Housing

Housing project for KZN flood victims creeps forward

3 Jun 2026

On Monday, fishers and environmental activists picketed outside the Cape High Court on the first day of a case against the government granting environmental authorisation for seismic surveys off the West Coast. Photo: Liezl Human.

Coal, Oil & Gas

Fishers in court to stop West Coast oil search

Liezl Human 2 Jun 2026

Source: GroundUp/Sechaba Mokhethi.

Construction & Engineering

Lesotho explores R5bn floating solar project on its highland reservoirs

Sechaba Mokhethi 1 Jun 2026

The Gauteng Department of Social Development will no longer fund non-South African social workers. Illustration: Lisa Nelson / GroundUp

NGO, NPO & Social Enterprise

Gauteng cuts funding for non-South African social workers

Seth Thorne 1 Jun 2026

Some learners at schools in the Amathole District and parts of the Chris Hani District in the Eastern Cape have missed days of school after transport operators employed by government went on strike due to unpaid wages. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks / GroundUp

Primary & Secondary Education

Eastern Cape scholar transport on strike over unpaid wages

29 May 2026

Source: GroundUp/Matthew Hirsch.

Land Policy, Reform & Restitution

Housing activists oppose eviction bill

Matthew Hirsch 27 May 2026

Image credit: , , via Wikimedia Commons

Climate Change

A storm is brewing as experts warn of a “super” El Niño

27 May 2026

The Supreme Court of Appeal has overturned a Gauteng High Court ruling that allowed German firm Frazer Solar to attach Lesotho state assets worth R950-million. Photo: Ben Bezuidenhout via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Corporate & Commercial Law

Court halts solar company from seizing Lesotho’s assets

Sechaba Mokhethi 25 May 2026

Source: GroundUp/Kimberly Mutandiro.

Infrastructure & Utilities

Katlehong residents use digger to tear up main road during protest

Kimberly Mutandiro 26 May 2026

Children wade through the flooded Westpoort road on their way to school in Mitchells Plain on 10 May. Archive photo: David Harrison

Climate Change

Explainer: What last week’s storm says about climate change

Peter Johnston 22 May 2026

Source: GroundUp/Ashraf Hendricks.

Property

De Doorns farm workers’ homes destroyed in floods

Liezl Human 21 May 2026

Queues at the Department of Labour office in Cape Town. Some people claining unemployment benefits online may be sending their files to an old system. Archive photo: Qaqamba Falithenjwa / GroundUp

Remuneration & Payroll

You may be sending your UIF claim to a dead website

Marecia Damons 21 May 2026

Source: GroundUp.

Property Development

Government may finally be heeding calls for Cape Town military land to be developed for housing

Matthew Hirsch 19 May 2026

Protesters outside the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition’s offices in Cape Town in August 2025. Archive photo: Matthew Hirsch

Coal, Oil & Gas

No plan to review SA’s coal exports to Israel, says Parks Tau

Matthew Hirsch 18 May 2026

The Constitutional Court has ruled that rejected asylum seekers cannot reapply. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks / GroundUp

Immigration & Citizenship Law

Constitutional Court rules asylum seekers once rejected cannot reapply

Ohene Yaw Ampofo-Anti 14 May 2026

Happiness Primary School is one of three no-fee-paying schools in Nigel that have had their electricity cut off for months. Photo: Kimberly Mutandiro / GroundUp

Primary & Secondary Education

Schools left in darkness as municipal bills mount

Kimberly Mutandiro 12 May 2026

Two Portlands Primary School learners wade through the flooded Westpoort road on their way to school in Mitchells Plain on Monday morning. Photo: David Harrison

Climate Change

In photos: Cape storm wreaks havoc

GroundUp Staff 12 May 2026

Eskom’s current and only nuclear power station located at Koeberg, Western Cape. Archive photo: Brent Meersman

Nuclear Power

Public gets three more weeks to comment on Eskom nuclear site — but critics say it’s not enough

John Yeld 11 May 2026

The CSIR’s 2024 power generation statistics found that the power Eskom sells to South Africans is more than three times as expensive, on average, as what new wind and solar can deliver (R1.95 per kWh vs 50-60 cents per kWh). Above: Eskom’s Lethabo power station in the Free State. Photo: Simisa Bearbeitung (Auschnitt, Farben): Pechristener via

Coal, Oil & Gas

The Israel/US-Iran war is hitting South Africa hard – our oil dependency is why

Jo-Anne Smetherham and Yanga Malotana 8 May 2026

Source: Pexels.

Infrastructure & Utilities

Is a data-centre boom pushing Cape Town’s grid to breaking point?

5 May 2026

Berenice Paulsen (left foreground) at the Bellville Sassa office in November 2025. We then that she had been trying for five months to help her sister Desiree Fredericks (right foreground), to get an Older Persons Grant. Archive photo: Marecia Damons

Health & Social Welfare

New Sassa system piloted in Bellville office

Marecia Damons 4 May 2026