GroundUp

Cobbler Eric Paku has been mending shoes in Pretoria Central for twenty years. Photos: Ezekiel Kekana The police officers that used to search his belongings looking for drugs are now among “the shoe doctor” Eric Poku’s best customers. “The police thought I was selling drugs and using the shoe business as a cover,” said Poku, a cobbler who has been running his shoe-stitching … [Read more...] about Meet Eric Paku, the “Shoe Doctor” of central Pretoria

Headlines claiming that magic mushrooms can treat illness are misleading. Image of mushrooms generated by Stable Diffusion. It seems that barely a week goes by without a headline touting magic mushrooms as a miracle cure for mental ailments ranging from depression and anxiety to post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and even addiction. Having studiously … [Read more...] about Much ado about magic mushrooms

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu says 7.5 million people have received the R350 Social Relief of Distress Grant between June and September 2022. Archive photo: Mosima Rafapa Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu says 7.5 million people are receiving the R350 Social Relief of Distress Grant on a monthly basis. Zulu said that the income threshold has been increased to … [Read more...] about About 7.5 million people receive the R350 grant

About 100 Geluksdal residents picket outside the City of Ekurhuleni’s mayor’s offices in Germiston on Tuesday. Photo: Kimberly Mutandiro About 100 Geluksdal residents picketed outside the City of Ekurhuleni’s mayoral offices in Germiston on Tuesday. They are demanding that the City give them answers following violent protests in August and again in September over electricity … [Read more...] about “People are gatvol” of being “forgotten” by Ekurhuleni mayor

Graphic: Lisa Nelson The MEC for Education in the Northern Cape must pay for any proven damages of a learner who suffered serious acid burns after “experimenting” with drain cleaner left in a school bathroom. The incident occurred in 2015 when the boy was 11 years old. Lawyers for the MEC argued that the learner should also be held liable. But Kimberley High Court Judge … [Read more...] about MEC must pay after child injured in drain acid “experiment”