GroundUp

A stream of sewage from holding ponds at the Bethal wastewater treatment works, which is supposed to be pumped back to the plant for treatment, flows from a break in the lowest pond’s wall through an informal settlement below. Photos: Steve Kretzmann Failing sewerage systems in Mpumalanga municipalities are pouring filthy water onto streets and into the Vaal River catchment … [Read more...] about Sewage seeps into Vaal Dam as Mpumalanga water treatment plants fail

The Buffalo City Metro Municipality has plans to relocate families living at C2 informal settlement near East London city centre. Many of the residents are unemployed. Photos: Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik Vuyiswa Booi, 61, moved to C2 informal settlement near East London city centre in 2005 and has had to rebuild her shack more than five times due to fires. “We are not getting any … [Read more...] about More than 20 families share one pit toilet in this East London settlement

About 3,500 civil society organisations have written a joint letter to the President demanding an explanation as to why they were excluded from the Presidential Social Sector Summit. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks About 3,500 civil society organisations say they were excluded from the Presidential Social Sector Summit in August, where important decisions were made for them … [Read more...] about Anger at civil society exclusion from Presidential summit

Twenty-two year old Anathi Lobi is one of the women in the Up To You entrepreneurship programme. Lobi says the Wolwerivier library is important because “We want to bring a brighter future to our kids”. Photos: Ashraf Hendricks Wolwerivier familes gathered on Saturday morning for the opening of the very first library in the settlement outside Cape Town. Wolwerevier is an … [Read more...] about New library brings hope to Wolwerivier

Community members in Khayelitsha march to Eskom’s local office on Wednesday to demand better service. Photo: Vincent Lali Residents marched to Eskom’s offices in Khayelitsha on Wednesday. They demanded that electricity issues in the community be resolved immediately. Among their complaints is for workers to return to the local office where they can lodge complaints in-person. … [Read more...] about Fed up with poor service, hundreds march to Eskom office in Khayelitsha