Khayelitsha’s most common dread disease – diabetes, first appeared on WWMP .
Khayelitsha’s most common dread disease – diabetes

14 November marks World Diabetes Day, and residents of Khayelitsha received expert advice on how they can prevent and manage diabetes.

Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects how the body turns food into energy. There are more than 4.3-million people living with diabetes in South Africa, according to Dr Abraham Opare, project manager for the ORBIS-World Diabetes Foundation, Diabetic Retinopathy Project.

At the event held at Khayelitsha District Hospital on Thursday, Opare said diabetes is in most cases caused by bad lifestyle choices. “People are either not physically active or the kind of foods they eat are not healthy enough. As a prevention measure we encourage people to be more physically active, and you don’t have to make the physical activity look like work. Even dancing or taking short walks. We also encourage people to eat a lot of vegetables, those available to them in the community. People must also avoid stress and get enough sleep,” said Opare.

Assistant manager at Khayelitsha Day Hospital, Bulelwa Gaji, said one of the biggest challenges in the context of Khayelitsha is that many people still don’t take diabetes seriously. “Diabetes is a lifestyle disease; it can be controlled through exercise, diet and compliance to medication. In our facilities, people always complain about not having money for the diet. We try to educate them that it’s not about eating expensive food but rather staying away from certain types of food. Another challenge we have is, after people have been diagnosed, they don’t want to come back and continue with medication,” said Gaji. 

The migration of people to other provinces also disrupts their keeping to a medical regime. “People will come and get diagnosed with diabetes and once they feel better will go maybe to the Eastern Cape and upon their return, their diabetes has gotten worse and out of control and they have to start afresh,” she told Elitsha. The rate of diabetes in Khayelitsha and across the Cape Town metro is very high, she said, looking at the numbers in the hospital database. In her assessment, it is the most common controllable disease.  

She said they battle with convincing patients to take care of their own health. “We need more awareness; we have health promoters who go around and teach people what diabetes is and how people can control it and prevent complications,” she added.

Calls for access to treatment in low-income countries

On Monday, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) released a statement calling on pharmaceutical corporations Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and all insulin manufacturers to take urgent action to increase access to treatment. “80% of people with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries, where access to insulin pens is extremely limited due primarily to high prices. Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi control and monopolise the diabetes market, making business and manufacturing decisions that affect people’s access to insulin and often setting prices of their newer insulins as high as they want.”

Current market prices and pharma markups. You don’t want to be diabetic and American. Graphic supplied

According to the MSF, such decisions effectively block access to more practical treatment with pens for people living with diabetes around the world, and particularly in poorer communities and countries.

Exercise and diet is key 

Dr Deon Minnies, director of the Community Eye Health Institute at the University of Cape Town (UCT), called on communities and individuals to make better decisions when it comes to their health. “The main reason we are here today is to remind people that your health is in your own hands, it’s not in the doctor’s hands. Diabetes is developed over a long time, mainly through lifestyle problems, maybe eating the wrong diet, eating too much sugar, and a lack of exercise and allowing yourself to become overweight. That is how it develops,” he reiterated.

“If you keep your heart rate well and fit. Exercise has so many benefits not just for diabetes. Not even a lot, just 30 minutes a day of exercise directed. Watching your diet and refraining from sugary food like biscuits and drinks. Balance your diets with green vegetables, that should keep diabetes away. Once you have diabetes you are at risk of getting complications, which may include losing sight, or have greater risks of having heart attacks and so on,” said Minnies. 

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Khayelitsha residents march against gun violence and crime, first appeared on WWMP .
Khayelitsha residents march against gun violence and crime

Dozens of community crime fighters and residents sang: “We will move forward though they shoot us” and urged residents to report crime as they marched from Khwezi to Makhaza Police Station in Khayelitsha on Saturday. Others marched from Strand, Lwandle, Somerset West and Nomzamo to the same police station, where they all gathered.

Phindile George, secretary of Khayelitsha Community Policing Forum (CPF), said a sub-district of the policing forum that includes the four police stations in – Macassar, Strand, Somerset, Lwande and Gordons’ Bay – organised the march. The sub-district is among the top 30 crime hotspots nationally. George said the aim of the march was to “silence the guns”.

“We are encouraging residents to report crime, illegal guns and criminals to the police. Paramedics, municipal workers, officials from the Department of Social Services, can’t work in Khayelitsha without an escort because of gun-toting criminals. The only way to silence the guns is for the police to confiscate them. But residents must first report those who own them illegally,” he said.

George said that while there are certain hotspots in Khayelitsha, the whole township is plagued by crime. “Ngwalaza Street is a hijacking hotspot. Shooting incidents happen frequently in Green Point, Site B and Site C. The whole Khayelitsha is a crime hotspot,” he said. The township is like others engulfed by brutal protection rackets that affects small and medium sized businesses in the township.

Justin Kunlehm, the spokesperson for the community police forums at the provincial level said Khayelitsha residents will not win the war against gang violence and extortion gangs if they don’t hand information to the police. “Khayelitsha has a big extortion problem. There have been various breakthroughs as reported in the media from the provincial extortion task team. They are doing a good job, but they must still crack down more,’’ said Kunlehm.

“Shops have to pay protection fees. Taxis from others industries have to pay to various taxi organisations in order to drive in the area. Building companies have to pay a protection fee. They can’t build in our areas,” he said.

Zukiswa Dziba, secretary of the South African National Civics Organisation (Sanco) in B section, said she joined the march because she is “tired of crime”. “My niece was holding her phone the other day and a criminal came out of his white bakkie and grabbed it. Our kids are not safe,” she said.

Dziba said she wants the police to be “more visible in big areas such as B section and conduct search and seizure operations”. “It’s unacceptable that the police are not visible in areas as big as B section. Even the CPF finds it difficult to patrol unarmed in B section,” she said.

A member of Green Point Neighbourhood Watch, who asked not to be named, said: “Thugs sell drugs to kids. They shoot at each other while we patrol. We are not safe. We want the police to remove guns from our areas.”

Funeka Soldaat, acting chairperson of Khayelitsha Sub-district Policing Forum, said: “Our aim is to remove guns from people who are not supposed to own them. Sixty percent of crime in Khayelitsha involves guns.”

Criminals thrive in Khayelitsha because residents don’t report them to the police, Soldaat said: “Residents don’t do their bit and report crime, otherwise the crime rate would not be this high.”

Siyabonga Makhawula, chairperson of Lwandle Community Policing Forum, asked the neighbourhood watches and CPF members to be “strong”. Murder, house-breaking and extortion are the most common crimes in Lwandle, he said: “Thugs used to rob Somali shops only, but now they rob even salon owners who operate their businesses in shipping containers.”

‘’Residents are scared to come forward with information because they are afraid of being the targets of criminals,’’ he said.

Brigadier Mnoneleli Magobiyane, Khayelitsha sub-district commissioner, said: “We would sleep peacefully if there were no guns.” He promised to protect members of Khayelitsha CPF from criminals. “Some police look down on CPF members. The police must not drive past them without saluting,” said Brigadier Magobiyane. “CPF members need support. The police must stop and ask how they can help them.”

A ‘declaration’ handed to Brigadier Magobiyane says Khayelitsha CPF commits to helping the cops remove the guns that “violently takes away the lives of breadwinners on their way to work”. The CPF further commits to “establishing people-centred community groups” to prevent youths from joining gangs.

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Bilharzia infections plague Limpopo schools, first appeared on WWMP .
Bilharzia infections plague Limpopo schools

Limpopo learners and their parents are living in constant fear of being infected with bilharzia as the deadly disease plagues public schools in Limpopo. In recent weeks, more than 155 positive cases of bilharzia have been reported in Limpopo across various schools, more especially in the greater Tzaneen area.

While the root cause behind the sudden outbreak remains unknown, poor sanitation and a lack of clean running water in Limpopo communities has been fingered as the likely cause behind the outbreak of bilharzia by parents and learners.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), bilharzia is an acute and chronic parasitic disease caused by blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma. It enters one’s skin through infected bodies of water. Though there is no known vaccine to prevent bilharzia, there are drugs to treat the condition. But if the condition is left untreated, it can lead to bladder cancer and other deadly medical conditions. WHO estimates that at least 251.4-million people globally required preventative treatment against the disease in 2021. Bilharzia infections are more prevalent in poor communities without potable water and sanitation.

With over 1,400 public schools in Limpopo still making use of dilapidated pit toilets, while several still do not have running water, Elitsha spoke to parents and learners of some of these schools.

Rotshidzwa Maluga is a chairperson of the school governing body at Mabila Primary School, which does not have running water and was only supplied with six mobile toilets in August this year, putting an end to the use of dangerous, dilapidated pit toilets. “Everyday, I pray that the bilharzia virus does not reach our community and the school, because if it does, it is bound to spread throughout the school as we do not have running water at the school premises and even in our villages. It is a scary situation for us, not only for local schools but for the whole community at large. We just keep on praying and hoping for the best,” says Maluga.

Maluga says that without piped water, they resort to using unpurified water from the local river, where learners often also play after school. “Our other worry is that as learners and other members of the community continue to use water from the local river to wash their clothes, collect water to bath and to also do other household chores, if it happens that the virus reaches the local river, we are all bound to be infected with bilharzia,” says Maluga.

Neil Shikwambana is the provincial spokesperson for the Department of Health in Limpopo. He contends that there is not an outbreak of bilharzia and that the 156 confirmed cases of bilharzia is rather a result of increased testing. “We are awaiting more laboratory test results, but we think the situation is under control, because if you look at the ratio of testing versus positive cases, you will realise that there isn’t a spike,” he says.

But Shikwambana says that they remain unsure of the root causes behind the bilharzia cases in the province: “The water service authorities are still seized with the task of determining the exact source”. According to Equal Education (EE) head in Limpopo, Zanele Modise, the use of dilapidated pit latrines in the province is the critical concern. She says that the Department of Education is failing its learners by not putting enough effort into eradicating pit latrines at Limpopo public schools.

Zwidofhela Masindi is a parent to a 10-year-old learner at a public school outside of Thohoyandou. She does not know much about bilharzia, but fears the unsanitary conditions at the school. “The school where my child goes to does not have any form of running water and they also continue to use pit toilets and I am very sure that after using the toilet they have nowhere to wash their hands. This makes me to live in fear as I am always worried that if bilharzia spreads to the school, my child will also be affected,” says Masindi.

She wishes that the relevant government departments step up their efforts in ensuring that bilharzia does not spread further. “This should serve as a warning to the Department of Education that each school is supposed to have proper toilets and running water, because if they had water and proper sanitation at this stage we would not be worrying about the health of our children,” says Masindi.

Justice Chauke* is a grade 11 learner at Waterval High, outside of Elim which is faced with a critical shortage of water. He says that they have to share limited pit toilets. “I have heard reports of a bilharzia outbreak on the local radio station and what first came to my mind was that, if they are saying that lack of water and poor sanitation can lead to the spread of the disease, we are bound to suffer as Waterval High learners as the school does not have proper toilets nor running water,” says Chauke.

Mosebjane Kgaffe is the spokesperson for the education department in Limpopo. She says that they are working together with the provincial department of health to ensure that bilharzia does not spread further within schools in the province.

Limpopo health MEC, Dieketseng Mashego has set up a task team compromising of representatives from the office of the premier, and the departments of basic education, health, human settlements, and cooperative governance and traditional affairs to conduct tests within schools and communities. “By identifying cases of bilharzia early, we can provide treatment and prevent further spread of the disease. We are working with the local water service authorities to conduct water quality tests as one way of preventing the disease because as much as screening, testing and treatment is important, it is even more important to work towards prevention,” says Mashego.

* Not their real name

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Khayelitsha gets a men’s health clinic , first appeared on WWMP .
Khayelitsha gets a men’s health clinic 

On Thursday, the Anova Health Institute, in partnership with the Western Cape Department of Health, opened a men’s clinic at the Michael Mapongwana Clinic in Khayelitsha. Addressing the residents who attended the launch, Dr Qondisa Qina, programme director at Anova, said the clinic will play a big role in addressing men’s health in Khayelitsha and surrounds.

“Men generally have a challenge with coming to the clinic. This room we are launching will allow men to come to the clinic after hours, when the facility is less crowded. Men are known to be breadwinners, so if they suffer health issues, then that means the whole family suffers. It is very important that they take care of their health. In most cases, they present themselves very late to the clinic when already very ill,” said Qina.

She said men were lagging even in testing for HIV or keeping to their treatment when testing positive. “They need to be educated. One of our goals with this clinic is to ensure men are tested, treated, and achieve viral suppression. Men are still much behind in this regard. They normally seek help when their situation is even more complicated. Men also do not like to sit in long queues, and facilities must start providing equity for men,” she added. 

Speaking to Elitsha, facility manager, Khanyisile Jacobs said, “This clinic focusing on men will help families because they will become healthier. We have noticed that the government and the World Health Organisation [WHO] only speak about women and children’s health. Men suffer in silence, and they grapple with many illnesses. They often come to the clinics when it’s already late and are already sick. If a father is sick, the whole family becomes sick. Men like presenting as strong and then suffer. We hope through this room we will see a healthy Khayelitsha community.”

The facility will initially be operating only twice per month, on Thursdays between 16h00 and 18h00 in the evening. “As demand for this service grows, we will then also extend the days of operation. We chose the late afternoon because we want men to be free to come, when the clinic is not full,” said Jacobs.

The clinic will offer healthcare services, including HIV testing, physical examinations, TB screening, HIV testing services (HTS) and circumcision, and health education. Similar facilities include Kuyasa Men’s Clinic also in Khayelitsha, and another one in Fisantekraal.

Lebogang Makokoana, project coordinator at Anova, said, “I have been long advocating for men to take care of their health. A healthy man means a healthy family and community. We want to educate men about the value of them taking care of their health. We have retainer coaches and will place one of them at Michael Mapongwana, so that they can help men who are diagnosed with any health related matter.”

Activist and writer, Diana Ferrus also gave an address and called on men to be vulnerable and learn not to bottle things up. “Men’s mental health issues start at a very young age where they are told to be strong, and that they come first before women in most things. Now, when things don’t go accordingly and men cannot fulfill some of these gender roles attached to them, it affects them in many different ways including their health,” said Ferrus.

Other organisations who joined the launch included the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), TB HIV Care and Umthombo Wempilo. Buhlebenkosi Msipha, from Umthombo Wempilo, said this added service will mostly assist men who work in the informal economy to access health confidentially. “It has been tiring to always say there is no clinic for men every time we have dialogues. Now this clinic will shut our mouths in that regard and there will be no excuses. We need to prioritise men’s health, and also not leave behind young men. Health issues are mostly a problem among black and working-class people. We will support this initiative as much as we can,” said Msipha. He said it was frightening that the Khayelitsha area records the highest statistics of new HIV infections as compared to other areas.

Ward 98 councillor, Anele Gabuza said, “The facility will be a big help, because men don’t take health related matters seriously. We will be encouraging men to come as this clinic is open for them. Men are sick out there and have real health problems that need urgent interventions.”

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RDP homeowners without electricity for a year, first appeared on WWMP .
RDP homeowners without electricity for a year

Over 100 families have been living in new RDP houses without electricity since September last year, when they first moved into them in Wallacedene, Kraaifontein. Zandile Mtuse, who stays with her sister and brother-in-law and their three kids, moved out of her shack in Section 14 to occupy her new home.

The new house and the neighbourhood were soon tarnished promises. There is no electricity in the house, preventing her from using her electrical appliances. “We brought a fridge from our shack, but we can’t store food in it. We cook and eat meat immediately after we buy it. We use our phones to light the house when kids bathe, eat and prepare to go to school and when we feed our babies because the house is dark,’’ she said.

Mtuse said lack of electricity forces her to use a gas stove to cook and boil water. “I buy gas for R100 to fill my 2kg gas stove four times a month. I struggle to get such money. My stove has no gas as I speak,’’ she said. She relies on her father who works as a gardener in Brackenfell for support.

She does not feel safe in the new house either. Thugs raid the houses in the evenings and rob the new house owners of their cell phones, she said. “When criminals notice phone torches shine light inside the houses,’’ said Mtuse, “they burst in and demand that we hand our phones to them at gun point. It’s winter now, so evenings are darker. Criminals kill and dump people here. We desperately want Eskom to install electricity in our houses.”

‘Life was actually
better in my shack’

Lindiwe Simanga, who stays with her husband and her three kids, said she moved out of her electrified shack in a temporary relocation area into her new RDP house in December last year. “I thought life would be better when I moved into a brick house, but it turned out that life was actually better in my shack because I had access to electricity. I brought my stove and heater from my shack, but I can’t use them here to make my house warm. The house is cold,’’ she complained.

She uses candles to light her house in the evenings and early mornings when it’s dark. “When I run out of candles, I use my cellphone torch to light my house,” Simanga said. She and other new house owners charge their phones in nearby Covid informal settlement, she said. “Our phones get damaged while we charge them there because the shack dwellers use illegal connections to get electricity.”

‘We pay to store foods
in the fridges of shack
dwellers in Covid’

New house owners pay money to get their phones charged and to store their meats and foods in the fridges of shack dwellers in Covid, she said. “They are now tired of us because our food fills up their fridges and leaves them with no space to store theirs. They make us pay R2 for charging each cell phone and R5 for storing each plastic bag of food in their fridges,” she said.

Eskom commits to connect the houses

Councillor Siseko Mbandezi, acting mayoral committee member for human settlements, said: “The city is engaging with Eskom for electricity supply to be connected with urgency. [The houses] are certified ready for occupation as per the provincial minimum building standards.”

According to the City of Cape Town, 117 units at Maroela Project were completed and handed over to the owners.

“Due to vandalism and unlawful occupation of completed Breaking New Ground (BNG) homes, the city’s human settlements department affords beneficiaries of its housing projects the choice to move into their homes before the electricity connections have been installed. Those who chose to move in without connection, to reduce the risk of their home being unlawfully occupied, do so via an explicit agreement with the city,’’ he said.

Community leader, Linda Phitho said: “I fail to understand why the City of Cape Town never included the installation of electricity in its plans to build the houses. The city treats the house owners like land occupiers who stay illegally on its land. About two months ago, residents made a gruesome discovery of a dead woman among these unelectrified houses. They could not identify the woman because it was dark. If the area was electrified, they would have easily identified the woman and connected her with her family.”

Zanele Bukani, spokesperson for the power utility, said Eskom would install electricity in the houses and issue a statement next week.

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Farmworkers march to demand a ban on harmful pesticides, first appeared on WWMP .
Farmworkers march to demand a ban on harmful pesticides

Dozens of farmworkers sang struggle songs as they marched to the German Consulate in Cape Town yesterday, carrying placards that read: ‘Don’t poison us, ‘Ban harmful pesticides’, and ‘End double standards’.

Women on Farms Project (WFP) and Oxfam South Africa organised the march. Lebogang Ramafoko, executive director of Oxfam South Africa, said she and the farm workers want German pesticide producers to stop exporting toxic farm pesticides to South Africa. “We want Germany to ban the export of 67 highly hazardous pesticides that have been banned in Europe because they are not safe for farm workers, farmers and for the produce in Europe,” she said.

‘What’s not good for Europeans
is surely not good for Africans’

Ramafoko said the farm workers suffer from many illnesses because they handle these banned pesticides without protective gear. “We are also human. What is not good for people and for the farm workers in Europe is surely not good for Africans,” she said

Ramafoko called for Germany to stop applying double standards in the pesticide trade. “We cannot have apartheid on pesticides. If Germany can find those pesticides dangerous for Europeans, why are they brought to South Africa?’’

Colette Solomon, WFP director, said: “We are also asking the German government to play a leadership role within Europe to ensure there is a Europe-wide legislation that bans the production and use of highly hazardous pesticides.”

Elizabeth Nyembe, a De Doorns farmworker, said farmers spray their plantations with pesticides while the workers are busy working without protective gear. “The pesticides go with the wind and reach us. As a result, we get sick,” she said.

No compensation
for farm workers

There is is no compensation for occupational injury on farms. Nyembe said farm workers pay doctors out of their own pockets when dangerous pesticides make them sick. “A farm worker pays R300 to get medical treatment when she or he gets sick. Farm owners don’t give us money to pay doctors,” she said. “Doctors tell us we are sick because of the pesticides when we consult them.”

Matheko Mohobo, a Rawsonville farm worker, said the pesticides cause women vaginal and sinus infections and asthma. “Because our toilets are far, we defecate on open fields. We get vaginal infections when we defecate on farm land that has been sprayed with pesticides,” she said. “If they spray on the farm land while you are pregnant, you can lose your baby.”

WFP started to campaign against the use of banned pesticides on farms in 2019. “While we lobby our government, we believe that the German government also has a responsibility given that a number of the major international pesticide producers have their global headquarters in Germany,” says WFP.

Farm workers get exposed to pesticides “when they are forced to re-enter vineyards soon after pesticides have been sprayed.” WFP also says they get exposed to pesticides because they have no water to flush the chemicals from their clothes.

“We observe with great concern that the German government still has not implemented the export ban of pesticides prohibited for use in the European Union.” A union treaty requires all member states to pass legislation banning the production and export of prohibited pesticides and pesticide active ingredients. The WFP calls upon Gemany to lead “a generalised legislation ban for the entire European Union”. By so doing, Germany will reduce “the ability of multi-national agrochemical companies to circumvent individual national legislation and export bans”.

The memorandum stipulates that the German Consulate must meet Women on Farms Project, Oxfam Germany and Oxfam South Africa by 15 October to detail its “plans and timelines to meet the demands”. Helmut Wolfgang Schulz, German Consulate office manager, received the memorandum on behalf of the consulate. “The demands will be processed,” he said.

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Police plan to catch up with extortion gangs, first appeared on WWMP .
Police plan to catch up with extortion gangs

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu told parliament that the current wave of extortion has gone beyond the four provinces of Gauteng, Western and Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal and is causing anger, bitterness, insecurity and pain across the country. Mchunu made the statement during the National Assembly sitting on the South African Police Services’ plans to deal with high levels of extortion in the country.

The four provinces, according to Mchunu, carry 73% of the crime in the country. The extortionists are heavily armed and operate in groups. “Most of them are individuals who do not want to work but rather choose to parade as armies of murderous parasites that must be fought and rejected by society as a whole. They are often heavily armed, operating in groups that instill fear and chaos. The relative ‘silence’ of communities and low reporting is all due to these fears,” said Mchunu.

While releasing crime statistics last week, Mchunu said that those who are involved in extortion are only committing crime to benefit themselves and any idea they are protecting the community is false. “There are stories of some of them after committing the crime they are seen at bottle stores and at taverns,” he said.

“Crime is generally on the increase, crimes that should worry us most are: murder, rape, hijacking, kidnapping for ransom payments, and extortion. Four of the nine provinces recorded increases in murder cases, with the highest increase recorded in the Western Cape, followed by North West, then the Eastern Cape and Limpopo.  All the top 30 stations for murder were in only four provinces, namely Western Cape (11 stations), KwaZulu-Natal (8), Eastern Cape (6) and Gauteng (5). The leading stations among them were Nyanga, followed by Inanda, Umlazi, Khayelitsha and Harare,” said Mchunu during the release of the quarterly crime statistics last week.

Response by parliamentarians

Both the MK Party and the Economic Freedom Fighters allege that the reason for low reporting of extortion amongst victims is that there are members of the police who are involved in the criminal activity. Rize Mzansi pointed out that the rising levels of extortion are as a result of “failure of crime intelligence” while Build One South Africa called the policing budget to be increased.

On the failure of crime intelligence, Mchunu assured the MPs that it is being strengthened at the moment. A 2019 report by the community safety department in the Western Cape found that detectives are under-resourced, lack training and that their work is not guided by intelligence.

“Since last year, we have trained 1,000 detectives and we are currently re-enlisting 200 detectives and we would have loved to employ more but due to the budget, we can employ only 200,” said the national police commissioner, General Fani Masemola, responding to a question from a MP about the capacity of the detective services around the country.

Opposition parties believe that one of the reasons for high levels of extortion is that some police officers are involved.

Last month, Mchunu told parliament that there are over 8,000 vacant detective positions in the country. Since the police launched a hotline for anonymous top-offs following reports of increasing extortion in Mthatha, targeting even schools, he said they have received 12 calls relating to an occupation of buildings and stock theft.

Integrated approach lauded as an answer

Last week Friday, the three spheres of government launched and signed an agreement that is meant to integrate resources to fight crime. Mchunu said that the plan is to roll it out in all the metros around the country. “Currently the operational plan is being rolled out in Cape Town with its new 6 sub-districts. The model will be replicated in all metros in the country. The operational plan will include CPFs and private security companies,” he said

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The SWF has set up a stall outside the Benoni branch of the CCMA. The SWF intends to spend a week outside every CCMA office in Gauteng to support workers who are not being adequately assisted by the CCMA and sometimes even abused by the CCMA.

We demand that we be allowed to represent any worker who requests our support in a CCMA hearing. We have been trained to represent workers in conciliation and arbitration and we do this for free and will continue never to charge any fee for this.

We have been forced to make this demand. We insist upon this because the CCMA has ceased to be a neutral, dispute resolution forum. Instead, it has become aggressively anti-worker.

In about 70% of all cases, the CCMA refuses to allow workers to be represented in CCMA hearings. It insists that only workers who are members of registered trade unions can be represented. This leaves workers who are not unionized without any representation. Not all workers can join unions – unions often refuse to sign up sectors of workers, especially casual workers, as union members. This means that a casual worker who perhaps earns less than R3000 per month, would have to fork out over R20 000 for a private lawyer if they wanted to have a chance of winning a CCMA case, which is simply impossible.

Many of these workers who are being denied their right to representation are among the most exploited, like farm workers, domestic workers, labour broker workers, or contract workers. They are not unionised and depend only on the CCMA to defend their rights.

When these workers are alone in the CCMA hearing with only a commissioner, translator and the employer and employer’s attorneys, the CCMA commissioners frequently bully the workers. They put pressure on workers to drop winning cases. Case managers are rude to workers.

The CCMA also incentivises its commissioners to ‘settle’ as many disputes as possible, especially at conciliation. We have found that commissioners sometimes bully workers into signing settlements at conciliation, instead of taking their cases further to arbitration. This can mean that a worker who has been unfairly dismissed after working for one company for 15 years and who has a good chance of winning their case, will instead be bullied by CCMA commissioners or even translators into accepting a three-month payout instead of reinstatement.

CCMA commissioners are also supposed to assist workers with resolving disputes. Instead they behave like judges, which is not their role. They allow employers’ expensive attorneys to run the hearings and create enormous delays, which disadvantages the workers. Unlike the CCMA of the 90’s, when it was first established, many of the CCMA’s commissioners today have no experience in trade unions, no understanding of how to resolve labour disputes and hail from an irrelevant commercial lawyer or professional background.

The CCMA is also reliant on part-time commissioners. Many of these part-time commissioners are attorneys who get their outside work from employers, and seem reluctant to rule against the employers at the CCMA.

Cases are delayed for years, meaning that workers are denied justice. One of our cases, against Heineken, took six years to be finalized in the CCMA.

The Simunye Workers’ Forum therefore demands:

1. An increase in the budget of the CCMA to meet its growing caseload.
2. The immediate appointment of more full-time commissioners, and for these commissioners to be experienced in labour matters and respectful to workers – no puppets of the bosses.
3. A complete ban on part-time commissioners acting for employers during the period of the transition towards the employment of more full-time commissioners.
4. The creation of a mechanism allowing workers and communities to report corrupt commissioners, anti-worker commissioners and hold disrespectful staff accountable.
5. Scrapping Rule 25 and giving all workers the right to representation at the CCMA, regardless of whether they are members of registered trade unions or not.
6. A restructured Department of Employment and Labour that includes an increased budget, increased inspectorate that can assume enforcement functions currently and inappropriately entrusted to the CCMA, dismissal of staff responsible for corruption in the UIF and Compensation Fund, and for staff who are nothing more than outriders for employer interests, including directors and chief directors, to be dismissed.

The Simunye Workers Forum is disgusted that the CCMA does not want to use its strong powers to make labour broker workers permanent and give them the same wages, hours and conditions as other permanent workers, for example. Instead, it wants workers to refer more disputes, which means they experience long delays in resolving their cases. The Simunye Workers’ Forum will continue this direct action until our demands are met. [ends]

For interviews, please contact:
Tshepo Motaung – SWF activist – 061 4586 444:
Irene Sibanyoni – SWF activist – 083 9530 955:
Matsoanelo Motomotomo – SWF activist – 071 9146196:
Sydney Moshoaliba – CWAO Education officer – 062 166 0997 or 072 509 3587

The post MEDIA STATEMENT: Simunye Workers’ Forum direct action at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) appeared first on Vuka News.

Palestinian leader calls for an organised international campaign to isolate Israel, first appeared on WWMP .
Palestinian leader calls for an organised international campaign to isolate Israel

Palestinian politician and physician, Dr Mustafa Barghouti has called on South Africans to lead the isolation of Israel by supporting the consumer boycott of Israeli goods and services and the expulsion of Israel from the international football federation, and by expelling the its ambassador.

Barghouti, who is a former Minister of Information in the Palestinian Unity Government and currently the secretary general of the Palestine National Initiative, was speaking to the media earlier today about the latest developments in Palestine. He is visiting the country and has had meetings with government officials and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Naledi Pandor, and with the deputy speaker of parliament. He expressed appreciation of the solidarity that Palestinians have been getting from the South African government, South Africans and from around the world but called for an organised, united voice and strategy.

South Africa, he argued, is key to the struggle for a free Palestine since it went through the same fight against apartheid. “We are so encouraged and so appreciative of the world reaction to when we see demonstrations all over the world demanding the end of terrible aggression to Palestinians but also demanding justice for Palestinians. And I say that this anger that we see in the world would not be effective if it does not get organised and that is why we believe that the best thing that can be done now is to combine Palestinian resistance and struggle with Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign worldwide (BDS) like you did in South Africa,” he said.

“We ask South Africa and thank South Africa for all that they have done and for proceeding to ICJ again demanding cessation of all military activities in Gaza, but we also ask South Africa for three other things. The first thing is immediate economic boycott of Israel including boycotting of all commercial relations with Israel. South Africa can become an avant garde country. Secondly, we are asking for civil society to campaign in a strong way to kick out Israel from FIFA as it was done to the rugby team here during apartheid. Finally, we call on the expulsion of Israeli ambassador and to cut the relationship with them as long as they continue with the system of apartheid and discrimination against Palestinian people,” he said.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has called for Israel to be kicked out of FIFA. Photo by Sharon McKinnon

Kicking Israel out of Fifa

The sports boycott of apartheid South Africa was instrumental to isolating the apartheid regime and a precedent that the international football governing body, FIFA (the Federation Internationale de Football Association) has already followed – in the case of Russia, a hypocrisy the Palestine Solidarity Campaign has called out. “The actrocities inflicted on the Palestinians by Israel far exceeds the human cost of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Yet UEFA and FIFA suspended Russia in 2022 from all football competitions while Israel still participates in football matches,” the PSC said, then accused FIFA of condoning Israeli racism while claiming to fight racism in football. Unlike other countries in the region, Israel is part of UEFA (Union of European Football Associations), instead of the Asian Football Confederation like other Middle Eastern and Asian countries, including Palestine.

In November last year, 44 days after October 7, the Israel government recalled its ambassador in South Africa “for consultations”. The recall followed a motion that was passed in parliament recommending the Israeli embassy’s closure until there is a ceasefire and a commitment to negotiations.

Health crisis in Palestine

Barghouti, who is also the president of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, painted a picture of the catastrophic state of healthcare in Palestine. The destruction of infrastructure has led to the outbreak of diseases that cannot be treated for lack of medication, shortage of medical personnel and attacks on hospitals.

Dr Mustafa Barghouti talking about the health crisis in Palestine. Video edited by Sindile Gulwa

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The post Amathole District Municipality appointment unites opposition in outrage first appeared on WWMP .

A former manager of Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality who is currently facing corruption and fraud charges has resurfaced as Director of Community Services at Amathole District Municipality. Nokuthula Zondani was arrested in August by the Hawks for allegations of contravening the Municipal Financial Management Act (MFMA).

“This emanates from allegations of amending the contract between the municipality and the service provider without getting approval from the council as contained in the MFMA, and also allegations of failing as an accounting officer to prevent irregular, wasteful and unauthorised expenditure,” said Yolisa Mgolodela, the provincial spokesperson of the Hawks. The priority crimes investigation unit contend that in November 2019, the 52-year-old called a meeting in which she ultimately changed and doubled a tender contract price – from R1.2-million to R2.4-million – without any consultation or approval by the council.

In October 2021, Elitsha reported on a R15-million sub-standard stadium that was built in Lesseyton village in Enoch Mgijima. Earlier this year, GroundUp reported on a protest that saw the main town in the municipality being shutdown for two days with protesters calling for the dissolution of the municipality due to rampant corruption and poor service delivery.

The Amathole District Municipality (ADM) has confirmed that Zondani is the director of community services, a position she started on the 1st of August. The municipality claims that it was not aware that Zondani was facing corruption and fraud charges at the time of her appointment and that they followed the municipality’s vetting process. “ADM was not aware of any pending case against Ms Zondani at the time of her appointment. She resumed duties as Director Community Services on 01 August 2023. Ms Zondani was asked during her interview if she has or is aware of any pending case against her to which she responded she does not. ADM further followed its own vetting processes and they came clean with no indication of a pending case against her,” reads the ADM statement.

Zondani’s appointment was met by widespread rejection from Amathole opposition parties and leading pressure groups in the affected communities. “This recent appointment illustrates that the ADM council continues to violate local government regulations by appointing senior officials with pending corruption charges. In July, ADM appointed Mr. Lubabalo Manjingolo as the chief financial officer [CFO], despite having a pending case of fraud and corruption dating back to 2017 when he was the CFO at Mnquma Local Municipality. The case related to the irregular awarding of contracts,” said Tessa Peacock, director of Equality Collective, an NGO based in Mqanduli.

“It can’t be that a municipality hires a fraudster, but as we all know that the ruling party always shows our people a middle finger, they are bringing all these corrupt officials so that they can assist with them (leaders of the ruling party) to loot the municipal purse. We are against that appointment,” said Siphiwo Mavuso, EFF regional secretary.

Another councillor, Similo Sitole from United Democratic Movement said that his party vehemently rejects the hiring of Nokuthula Zondani in view of the pending criminal cases against her. Komani Protest Action (KPA) a grassroots movement that exposes corruption and service delivery crises at Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality, where Ms Zondani is accused of fraud and corruption, have described Zondani’s appointment as a farce. “These appointments are a strategy to protect and reward those who have stolen from Enoch Mgijima Municipality”, said Mncedisi Mbengo, a KPA leader.

“We have written to the MEC calling on Mr Williams to investigate and take decisive action in respect of Ms. Zondani’s appointment. We have also written to the municipal manger and mayor calling on the ADM council to act within the ambit of the law and appoint people who meet the criteria stipulated in the local government regulations. We will continue to try and coordinate public pressure so that we can ensure accountable and responsive governance at ADM”, said Peacock.

Zondani is out on R5,000 bail and has appeared in the East London regional court and her case has been remanded to the 7th of November.

The post Amathole District Municipality appointment unites opposition in outrage appeared first on Vuka News.

The post,

City of Cape Town takes on extortion mafia, spending millions on security, first appeared on WWMP .
City of Cape Town takes on extortion mafia, spending millions on security

The City of Cape Town (CoCT) launched an anti-extortion campaign aimed at fighting organised crime groups that target the construction industry and small businesses.

The launch took place on Thursday, 12 October, in Khayelitsha at the construction site of what will be a MyCiti depot, which had been affected by extortion. “We know that this is a national issue, but we are seeing a huge spike in extortion efforts in the City of Cape Town, particularly on our construction sites impacting not only construction sites but also on our basic services,” said Cape Town mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis.

Last week Gugulethu was the latest area in Cape Town where the city had to withdraw refuse collection staff due to threats of attack unless the city pays protection fees. Services have since been reinstated. “It is a very difficult problem to solve. It is very difficult, because the problem is disperse. It occurs at sites from a waste collection truck to the smallest of construction sites around the city. It is not possible to protect all of those sites with armies of armed security,” said Hill-Lewis.

The mayor added that another reason that makes this problem difficult to solve is that “people naturally and understandably feel afraid to report the crime. They are threatened by the extortionists themselves”.

Comprehensive guides have been sent out to all CoCT councillors on how to identify extortionists when approached by them. “We have sent out a useful guide of the way that extortion conversations usually start. They often start with ‘councillor you know this project really should have our teams working on it’. And what sounds like an innocuous conversation, ends up escalating into a threatening situation and full-on extortion,” added Hill-Lewis.

The city has also made amendments to their construction contracts, which now state that contractors may not claim construction delays unless the matter has been reported to the South African Police Services (SAPS).

Enough is Enough

“We are calling on every resident in our city to help us stop and fight back against extortion,” said the mayor. “We are sending out the message: extortion attempts shut down service delivery, it steals services and infrastructure from the people who need it most.”

The anti-extortion campaign is called ‘Enough. Genoeg. Kwanele’. Residents can send anonymous tip offs 24/7 on 0800 00 6992 or via email SSIMS.SSIUReporting@capetown.gov.za. Rewards are offered.

 The CoCT has an R11-billion infrastructure budget for the year 2023. 73% of that budget, the city claims is going to the poorest communities.

“Sadly, some of those construction sites have come to a halt. Our very biggest housing project, 3,000 units at Delft Symphony Way, there’s currently no construction happening there,” said Hill-Lewis. “In fact, we’ve put out a contract for the repair and rehabilitation of Delft main road and we did not even get a contractor applying for the tender, because they do not want to work in Delft … because of security concerns.”

A 2022 report by Global Initiative on the construction mafia reveals that there are strong links between some of the business forums who are involved in extortion, elements within the mass-transit taxi industry, and certain political players. Last week, the Western Cape police commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile told reporters that there are links between the extortion gangs in Cape Town and the taxi industry.

The report by Jenni Irish-Qhobosheane also found that the response by the state to the extortion mafia has been weak and that it is small enterprises that have been damaged the most as they lack the resources to deal with the construction mafia. “The damage caused by the business forums has not only resulted in delays in the delivery of a number of important infrastructure projects, but also contributed to the demise of a number of businesses,” reads the report.

The Cape Town’s mayor at the launch of the anti-extortion campaign in Khayelitsha on Thursday. Photo by Mzi Velapi

SAPS has made great progress in the kidnapping task team, however the extortion task team has struggled, according to Jean-Pierre ‘JP’ Smith, MEC for safety and security. “Where we are failing though is with the intelligence side. We are not doing enough on the crime intelligence side. This is a battle against organised and syndicated resources, it’s not a battle against people who casually wake up one morning and decide they are going to do this. These are syndicates who work the scene and therefore we need an intelligence driven approach […] We are going to continue to apply pressure on SAPS to advance that side of it,” said Smith.

“71% of the detectives
do not have informants.”

Department of Police Oversight
and Community Safety

In 2019, Elitsha reported on the dire state of the SAPS detective services based on a report by the Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety in the Western Cape. The report divulged that detectives are under-resourced, lack training and that their work is not guided by intelligence. “Many detectives have not received the adequate specialised training to investigate the organised and gang-related crime which runs rampant in the province,” reads the report.

During a press conference last week the police minister told reporters that they are on a recruitment drive to boost the number of detectives in the service.

Safer Festive Season

Meanwhile, SAPS launched a ‘Safer Festive Season Operations’ campaign at Khayelitsha rugby stadium, with Minister of Police, Bheki Cele in attendance.

The K9 Unit at the Safer Festive Season launch at Khayelitsha Stadium on Friday. Photo by Asive Mabula

The launch spoke to the readiness of police for the festive season, 36 new police vehicles, and new police graduates who will be going into the police force.

“An operational plan has been developed. It looks into visible policing [where] members are deployed at identified hotspots. It also looks into the investigation of cases that are open, whether it is pickpocketing, shoplifting or to more serious crimes such as murder, extortion and aggravated robbery,” said Brigadier Novela Potelwa, head of communications at SAPS.

Potelwa added that police detectives are in place to investigate all cases that are reported. “On a provincial level, there are monitoring mechanisms to make sure that all cases receive the priority they deserve,” added Potelwa.

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Parents of Enyobeni victims hope inquest will bring answers, first appeared on WWMP .
Parents of Enyobeni victims hope inquest will bring answers

The inquest into the cause of death of 21 young people at Enyobeni Tavern in Scenery Park in East London was postponed in the East London regional court on Thursday. The matter has been remanded to 11 September 2023 for the state to provide the contents of the docket to the legal representatives of the parties. 

The inquest has also been moved and is expected to formally commence in Mdantsane regional court, due to the shortage of court spaces in East London.

The aim of the formal inquest, according to the regional spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority, Luxolo Tyali, is to establish if anyone can be held criminally liable, by commission or omission, for the deaths. The 21 teenagers, of whom the youngest was 13, died at the infamous tavern as they celebrated the end of the June school examinations last year.

“At this moment, it is unclear what caused the incident and hence the state declined to prosecute. The matter is referred for formal inquest, and more than 30 witnesses, including experts, eyewitnesses, and the owners of Enyobeni Tavern, are expected to give evidence,” said Tyali. An inquest is not accusatorial as in a criminal trial, he added; it is an inquisitorial tribunal. There are no accused people.

Khululekile Ncandana, whose son Bongo died in the tavern, said they want someone to answer for the death of their children. “We are happy that there is an inquest, hoping it will determine the actual cause of deaths of our children. It is long overdue, as it has been over a year. Someone must be held accountable and they must take the responsibility for what happened” he said.

Ncandana said the families have not received the copies of the results of toxicology tests conducted on their children’s bodies, and what they have learned has only been by word of mouth. “It has been more than a year since the death of our children, but we have no copies that show what exactly killed our children” said Ncandana.

On 26 June 2022, bodies of the victims, some as young as 13, were scattered on the floor and tables of the tavern. File photo by Mandla Mnyakama

The parents were told, as part of the post-mortem report, that the cause of death was suffocation, a verdict they are dissatisfied with. This was despite a public announcement of a preliminary report by the provincial health department that methanol‚ a toxic alcohol found in industrial solvents‚ fuels‚ fertilizers and many other products‚ was found in the blood of all 21 children. The results of the full toxicology report have not been made public.

“We have heard witnesses testify and seen the CCTV footage of that night – clearly suffocation is not the cause. Whoever discharged pepper stray inside the establishment knowing very well it is overcrowded had an intention of killing our children. We hope the inquest will reveal that,” he said.

Another parent said, while waiting for hours in court for electricity to return: “ We are sitting here patiently because we want answers, we are not happy with how the matter has been handled by authorities but we are hopeful that we are closer to the truth.” Scenery Park residents said that they had complained about the activities taking place at the tavern well before the deaths of the teenagers.

The legal representative of the 21 families, Buchule Fulanisi, said it was necessary for the inquest to be adjourned so as to give everyone an opportunity to prepare. “The issue is that no documents have been provided to us; neither was the inquest docket provided to the Ndevus [the owners of Enyobeni Tavern] and their legal representative.” Fulanisi said they need to see the list of witnesses to take the stand, and the copy of the inquest docket with witness statements.

Case against tavern owner

Meanwhile, the case against the two Enyobeni Tavern owners, Siyakhangela and Vuyokazi Ndevu, for selling or supplying, and permitting employees and agents to supply, intoxicating liquor to persons under the age of 18 years, will be back in court on 24-25 October for the defence to make their case. They have pleaded not guilty to both charges. The Ndevus were not charged for the murder of the twelve girls and nine boys.

In their last appearance, CCTV footage recorded after 11pm on the tragic night was screened in court, showing them among and conversing with patrons queueing to buy alcohol amid an electricity blackout.

Demolition of Enyobeni Tavern

The Ndevus have since had their license revoked and have been served with papers from the Buffalo City Metro, for the demolition of their Scenery Park premises. The metro said the tavern structure is illegal. “It was found that there was no building plan approved and therefore the building was constructed illegally in contravention of the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act 103 of 1977.

“It was further found that the ERF is zoned in terms of the BCM land use scheme as residential zone 3A (single residential),” the metro’s spokesperson, Samkelo Ngwenya said. “This is a due legal process which expects the transgressors to comply and cease to operate and demolish the structure.”

The Eastern Cape liquor board said they had given a license for a previously erected structure and that after the renovations, the couple had been trading alcohol illegally.

The post Parents of Enyobeni victims hope inquest will bring answers appeared first on Vuka News.

DOWNLIAD THE PDF

In 2004 the Arts and Media Access Centre (formerly CAP) approaches Workers’ World Media Productions (WWMP), Bush Radio, CVET and Public Eye with a proposal to work together to set up a community TV channel in Cape Town.

A Steering Committee is established to drive the process which includes widespread civil society consultations to assess needs and gain community support for the channel.

The HSRC is commissioned to undertake research which results in the publishing of a book and a business plan is drawn-up.

In July 2006 182 civil society organisations come together at the founding AGM to launch the Cape Town Community TV collective aka CTV. The stated objectives are to “Provide access to channels of communication and information for the Cape Town community through the production and acquisition of relevant programming by and for the community” (Section 2, CTV Constitution)

In 2007 a core group of volunteers set-up a temporary base at Community House in the office of Workers’ World Media Productions (WWMP) and work to secure funding and apply for a license.

In mid-2008 CTV secures a grant from the MDDA and a one-year community TV license from ICASA.

A staff of six people are appointed and the team move into a small office provided by AFDA in Observatory.

CTV launched on 1 September 2008 with the broadcast of a power point presentation. Within six months of going on-air CTV is broadcasting 24/7.

Community TV stations are obliged to pay commercial rates for signal distributions costs despite the provision in EC Act for Sentech to introduce a preferential tariff. On 28 September 2009 CTV falls into arrears and is disconnected for 10 days until we are able to raise sufficient funding to pay the arrears.

In November 2009 CTV marches on Parliament to demand that the tariffs be reduced or done away. In November 2011 ICASA holds a hearing on transmission tariffs and Sentech is instructed to reduce its tariffs from R67 000 per month to R40 000 per month.

In late 2010 CTV moves into its own premises into “The White House”, a beautiful Cape Dutch building situation in the heart of Observatory. Over the following two years CTV secures additional offices space and expands the operation to include two TV studios.

In July 2011 ICASA turns down our request to renew CTV’s one-year license as a result of “lack of available of frequency” due to the launch of the test phase of DTT. CTV kicks up a media storm and ICASA relents. In November 2011, ICASA issues 7-year class licenses to all community TV stations.

In March 2012 Sentech moves Cape Town TV from channel 38 to channel 67 of the UHF spectrum. Unbeknown to CTV, this would require CTV’s 1,4 million viewers to invest in expensive, wide band aerials to pick up our signal. CTVs viewership drops to zero overnight.

Within 6 months CTV’s viewership climbs back up to 500 000 where it flounders for two years while we put pressure on ICASA’s to move Mnet from channel 32 which we occupy from late 2013.

In October 2013 Cape Town TV launches on DStv which expands the channels reach and ultimately pushes CTV’s viewership up to 2,5 million monthly, cumulative viewers.

In September 2014 CTV enters into a partnership with Johannesburg-based advertising sales house and, as a result, advertising sales increased significantly.

In 2015 CTV secures funding from the Open Society Foundation to launch a daily news service which is still running today with support from the MDDA.

In 2016/7 we embark on a community-driven process to amend CTVs license conditions. At the same time we apply for a renewal of our 7 year license. This is approved in September 2017.

In 2016/7 the FCC relocates from AFDA campus to CTV’s studios and we install a fiber line. In 2017 Multichoice donates secondhand equipment to bolster CTV’s studio and control room and in 2017/8 donates a new playout system in the FCC. CTV start broadcasting on a 16/9 format.

In June 2018 CTV launches an NQF Level 4 Learnership in Film and Television Production with funding from the MICT Seta and trains 20 unemployed youth who work as studio crew.

In July 2018, CTV complies with onerous advertising industry standards and is listed on Telmar. CTV take over regional sales from Mediamark and beefs up the capacity to of the sales department.

In 2019 and again in 2020, Multichoice undertakes a major upgrade of CTV’s studios and final control centre putting an end to CTVs ongoing technical challenges.

The Production Development Programme was launched in 2019 to formalize the channels commissioning processes through which members of the community are invited to partner with the channel to produce content that meets the needs of the community we serve. The PDP is aimed at identifying and developing individuals or organisations who wish to harness the powerful platform of television to drive positive social change.

In 2022 CTV moves over to Viacom who increase CTV’s advertising revenue considerably which places the station on a more secure financial footing.

In 2020 CTV secures multi-year funding from the Ford Foundation for the work the channel is doing to advance the struggle against gender-based violence, in particular, The Womxn Show produced and presented by Lenina Rasool. This funding allows the channel to invest in marketing and other areas that have been neglected for many years due to underfunding.

In September 2021 CTV launched 6 online channels, making the channels content available on all devises, anywhere, anytime. This will ultimately grow to 9 channels as we expand our content offering. The channel can be found at cape towntv.net.

As we make the transition to digital we are determined to retain a bottom-up, participatory approach in terms of content creation. This initiated the rebranding and repositioning of CTV to “Cape Town TV” with the tagline “For You, By You”, and a new logo, look and feel.

In 2022 the channel launched on Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) which will ultimately reach a provincial footprint of 4.5 million people. Cape Town TV is also available on the DTH “gap-filler” via Satellite with a footprint throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. 

In 2022, free-to-air broadcasters were threatened by the switch-off of analogue television which would have affected 5.7 million households and resulted in the loss of up to 40 % of our viewers.

Through a combination of legal action, media coverage and a fierce advocacy campaign waged by the SaveFreeTV coalition we managed to delay the ASO until December 2024. Every effort is being made to ensure that low-income households have access to the set top boxes required to receive a digital signal before then.

In 2024 the channel will embark on a provincial roadshow with funding from USAASA to build the channel from the bottom-up throughout the province.

CTV currently employs 36 full time staff members, 23 interns and 35 freelancers.

Snakes and Ladders: The Cape Town TV Story, first appeared on WWMP .

The post Snakes and Ladders: The Cape Town Community TV Story appeared first on Vuka News.

Hungry Western Cape students march against Nsfas while CEO is put on leave, first appeared on WWMP .
Hungry Western Cape students march against Nsfas while CEO is put on leave

Students from the University of Cape Town (UCT), University of the Western Cape (UWC), Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and Stellenbosch University (SU) marched to Parliament on Wednesday in protest against the shortfalls of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas). The march comes after various attempts to get Nsfas to improve their payment system and respond to student appeals.

The new Nsfas system now makes students’ payments through four new service providers: Tenet Technology, eZaga, Norraco Corporation and Coinvest Africa. Students have complained that payments have been made late and the bank fees are not student-friendly. “Coinvest is the problem, it has too many charges. My allowance is supposed to be R1,650, but we get it as R1,637.85. Added to that if you want to transfer the amount to your original bank, you get charged R20 and per R100 you spend, you get charged,” said Okuhle Ntenteni, a final-year student from SU. She has decided to transfer her allowance to her personal account every month to pay less charges.

An investigation report, compiled by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), found that of the 20 mandatory requirements, the service providers only met five mandatory requirements. “The requirement to have a banking licence was changed to having a banking licence OR a sponsor bank OR an affiliation with a bank, opening the backdoor for bidders who are not registered as financial service providers (FSPs) to submit their bids. As such, the appointed service providers were awarded a tender without being FSPs,” states the findings by Outa.

Student leaders voiced the common concern that the issues at hand should have been promptly solved with the academic year coming to an end. “When we had our mass meeting, you could tell that students are depleted, they didn’t even want to talk about the problems they are facing. We have written directly to Nsfas officials and the engagement is very poor. We move around in circles in terms of responses and it has been pretty much a dead end,” said Masilo Silokazi, SU SRC chairperson.

The students have been relying on food donations and SU has assisted with accommodation at backpackers for students that have been kicked out of their private accommodation because of Nsfas’s R45,000 cap, according to Silokazi.

“Personally, I am not affected, but indirectly I am affected because the students affected turn to us as their student leaders for assistance,” said Ludwe Ndeleni, CPUT student and EFFSC provincial gender officer in the Western Cape. “Most of these students come from the most disadvantaged backgrounds and I have to share the little that I also get from home,” added Ndeleni.

In May earlier this year, CPUT students protested against the ongoing issues relating to Nsfas allowances and the lack of accommodation. As a result, academic activities moved online amid discussions to resolve the issues.

“We want a response as soon as yesterday,” said Ndeleni. “CPUT’s academic year has already been affected because of the protest earlier this year. We started the second semester this month and we are still writing last semester’s exams.”

The ten-point memorandum was handed over to member of parliament, Tebogo Letsie, and Deputy Director-General for Higher Education and Training Marcia Socikwa.

Included in the memorandum is the need for transparent consultations between the DHET and SRCs, a special investigative unit for Nsfas, the immediate review of defunded students, and dismantling of the R45,000 accommodation cap. Some non-negotiables consist of an acknowledgement of receipt from Blade Nzimande and Nompendulo Mkhatshwa’s offices, and response to the memorandum in the next seven days.

“We have listened to your memorandum, and we are going to accept it and sign that we have taken it […] As the portfolio committee we are also concerned about some of the issues that have been raised about Nsfas,” said Letsie. Letsie added that they are also aware of students that quote Nsfas extra for their accommodation and are in essence “stealing from the government”.

Yesterday morning, Nsfas CEO, Andile Nongogo was placed on special leave as the financial aid scheme investigates the new direct payment system.

“In the interest of the image of NSFAS, the Board has resolved to investigate the allegations with a particular focus on the Direct Payment project. During the course of this investigation, the Chief Executive Officer will be on leave of absence,” reads the Nsfas statement.

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Cape Town’s electricity tariff hikes bite, first appeared on WWMP .
Cape Town’s electricity tariff hikes bite

Cape Flats residents say they cannot cope with the recent hikes in the electricity tariffs charged by the City of Cape Town (CoCT). The city implemented a 17.6% hike, which kicked in on 1 July, blaming Eskom’s 18.5% increase as a contributing factor.

Last year, communities marched to the city offices to protest the different increases levied by Eskom and by CoCT from 1 April. The increase for those who get electricity directly from Eskom was 9.6% and 8.6% if you who get it from the City of Cape Town.

“The city spends 70% of the income from the tariffs to buy the power from Eskom. This is the biggest cost input. In terms of legislation, the city must be allowed to recover the cost-of-service provision,” said Beverley van Reenen, the city’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy.

The CoCT supplies the southern and northern suburbs, and the townships of Gugulethu and Langa. The Cape Flats and the townships, under the city, are feeling the increase a bit more than elsewhere.

Feeling the pressure

“I now spend three times more than what I used to spend on electricity,” said Shaen Lawrence, a street vendor in Mitchells Plain. Lawrence added that R10 now gets him 3 units.

Tafelsig resident, Owen Davids, said he spends R50 a day on electricity in his household of 8 people. “One would think we would save with load shedding, but units are disappearing and don’t last. I don’t use gas either because that is an extra expense,” said Davids.

Although the CoCT has tried to alleviate the pressure on lower- and middle-income households, by passing a 52% rates relief increase for all residential properties under R5-million, these households are still feeling the pressure. Pensioner and part-time street vendor, Fozia Peterson said the city installed a new meter box in her house and she got the shock of her life when R20 electricity got her just 5 units.

Peterson was told she no longer qualifies for pensioner’s relief because of the value of her property. “Before I got the new meter box I was on the pensioner’s relief, but now I don’t qualify. The cost of living is too high, and we can’t survive. We don’t even use the geyser anymore or cook every day,” she said.

Gugulethu residents shared the same sentiments, saying the electricity increase is hurting their pockets deeply when it is cold. “I spend about R300 a week on electricity, especially because it is winter. However, when you spend more on electricity, the city sometimes doesn’t give you those 50 free units, because they think you can now afford to spend more on electricity,” said Beauty Stampu from NY5.

Homeowner, Andile Gunya, with two backyarders, says they each contribute R150 to electricity a month which sometimes does not last the whole month. R150 alone now gets him 71 units, whereas before it would get him 98 units.

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) condemned the decision by the CoCT to increase the electricity tariffs by more than the Nersa-approved 15.1%. “This is a direct attack and insult against the working class and the poorest of the poor and it is another example that this city is not working for our people,” reads the statement released by Cosatu.

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Thousands of learners left behind by taxi strike, first appeared on WWMP .
Thousands of learners left behind by taxi strike

Over 456,000 learners could not attend classes during the eight-day taxi strike in the Western Cape, with the Cape Town metro being the most affected. Learners in township schools could not make their usual way to school for fear their vehicle would be attacked. This is not the first disruption to the academic year in the Western Cape, and this time it comes at a crucial time for Grade 12 students who are preparing for trial exams in September.

The taxi strike was called-off yesterday after the taxi council and the City of Cape Town agreed on the issue of taxi impounding.

For those who go to school in Khayelitsha and neighbouring townships, this is the second time this year they have lost out on teaching and learning time due to actions of the taxi associations. In February, taxi associations blocked and threatened learner transport operators from ferrying learners to schools in Khayelitsha and neighbouring areas with thousands learners being affected.

“These flare-ups have serious consequences for learners and school communities in marginalised areas like townships, where it is difficult to change routines and plans to accommodate disruptions of access to school and work,” reads a statement by Equal Education. The setbacks caused by the Covid-19 lockdown mean that this generation cannot afford to lose any more teaching and learning time, says Equal Education.

“This is a significant increase from the 287,000 learners and 9,500 staff members who were absent on Friday and is a devastating loss of teaching and learning time that our children simply cannot afford,” reads the statement by David Maynier, Western Cape minister of education.

Twenty-seven schools were closed on 7 August, and some allowed learners to leave early due to limited transport and the threat of violence. No schools were burnt, despite rumours circulating.

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Taxi strike closes five hospitals, first appeared on WWMP .
Taxi strike closes five hospitals

Clinics and hospitals are operating on skeleton staff as transport in Cape Town has been jeopardised by the taxi protest. Healthcare facilities have suffered as neither nurses nor patients have been able to reach them, with several closed and vandalised. The protest which has seen the burning of buses and cars and resulted in five deaths, according to the police minister, has entered its seventh day today.

According to the provincial department of health and wellness, the protest has resulted in staff being unable to report for work, facilities having to close or operate at reduced capacity, elective surgeries being postponed, and longer waiting times at clinics and outpatient departments.

On Thursday, the department said that five day hospitals in the metro have closed down. Nolungile Community Day Centre in Site C near the taxi rank is one of them. When Elitsha visited the centre earlier today, it was still closed with the windows near the entrance shuttered and burn marks on the walls. According to the department, the day hospital was vandalised and burned on Tuesday while it was closed.

“I am deeply disappointed in the incidents of vandalism and arson that have taken place at Nolungile CHC, which occurred even after it was closed yesterday. It is beyond me that anyone would wish to damage a place that is meant to provide safety and health to residents,” said Western Cape MEC for Health and Wellness, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo.

Nolungile CDC was vandalised and looted on Tuesday.

Khayelitsha Health Forum chairperson, Mzanywa Ndibongo said he is in disbelief that people are
destroying facilities that are essential to them. “The impact of the strike on patients is big, both to staff and patients… [We are in] disbelief that there are people who can destroy the very facilities that they need to help them, and harm the very people that must help them,” said Ndibongo.

People are destroying facilities
essential to them

The attack on the clinic has also been condemned by the People’s Health Movement (PHM). While they recognise the right of taxi drivers to strike, its impact on healthcare has only been negative. “We are much concerned about mental, social, physical, and spiritual health and wellness in the community, especially children, women and other vulnerable group. And it is the poor working class that is largely affected,” said Tinashe Njanji, national coordinator of PHM.

There have been more patients admitted for violent injuries. The Khayelitsha Health Forum says there have been delays in administering treatment and an inability to transfer or discharge patients.

Emergency services have also been affected as they are being targeted, with families not able to visit or collect their loved ones as it has become a risk to travel, according to Ndibongo. “Staff who can not drive to areas of work are encouraged to report to the nearest facilities, resulting in service continuity and minimal disruptions,” said Ndibongo.

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Khayelitsha residents march to Home Affairs, first appeared on WWMP .
Khayelitsha residents march to Home Affairs

Khayelitsha residents alongside various social movements and organisations marched to the Khayelitsha Home Affairs offices on Tuesday to protest the poor services delivered there.

The public services campaign #UniteBehind organised the march, in collaboration with Social Justice Coalition (SJC), Neighbourhood Watch and Intlungu yaseMatyotyombeni. “We have tried to engage the manager here at home affairs multiple times and she said she will not communicate with strangers, we must take our grievances to our councilors or the Khayelitsha Development Forum,” said Lumkile Sizila, provincial organiser of #UniteBehind.

The Khayelitsha Home Affairs manager is accused of being arrogant by not showing willingness to hear the public’s grievances. “This march comes three months after trying to engage the home affairs manager. We were supposed to march earlier this month, however due to the taxi strike, we couldn’t. That’s why today we decided rain or sunshine we will be here,” said Sizila.

The elderly, new parents and the youth were some of the people to take to the stand and voice out how their lives have become difficult due to no help from home affairs.

“I applied for a late registration of birth in 2019 and it’s 2023, I still haven’t been called for an ID. Throughout my schooling I had to use a clinic card for identification,” said Thembakazi Thembani, a 25-year-old from Khayelitsha. Thembani was raised by her grandmother and has no contact or knowledge of her mother’s whereabouts. “I have two IDs and when I came with my child to do their ID, I was told my child can’t do an ID, because I am duplicated on the system. As a result, my child wrote their matric exams last year using a birth certificate,” said Nokuphiwa Booi. She added that, because of this, she is also struggling to get a social grant for her 2-year-old child, and she cannot open a bank account.

#UniteBehind compiled a memorandum together with the participating organisations, that listed ten testimonials from people that have remained unassisted by the home affairs office, and demanded transparency, accountability, public participation and a prompt response from home affairs. “These are the few cases of many in the community of Khayelitsha, and as an organisation we believe that there are many cases that are not yet recorded,” reads the memorandum.

The memorandum was received by Bongiwe Sakawuli, district manager in charge of the Cape metro. “I am here to welcome your grievances as the home affairs manager is currently on family responsibility leave, and we will respond in 14 days as you have stated. I have heard all the grievances and I think some of the grievances are due to a lack of understanding policies and processes,” said Sakawuli.

Sakawuli urged the social movements present to organise the community, in partnership with home affairs, to make residents better understand their processes and policies in place.

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Activist advocate Ayanda Gladile ‘killed by the township he sought to better’, first appeared on WWMP .
Activist advocate Ayanda Gladile ‘killed by the township he sought to better’

A R100,000 reward has been offered for information that leads to an arrest of those responsible for the murder of Khayelitsha activist lawyer, Ayanda Gladile. Gladile was shot multiple times while reportedly intervening in a robbery close to his home. He succumbed to his wounds on 13 August in Makhaza, Khayelitsha.

The 34-year-old advocate will be remembered for being involved in the establishment of the EFF in the Western Cape and representing students during #FeesMustFall pro-bono. A memorial service for advocate Gladile was held at Thusong Centre in Khayelitsha last Friday, attended by his family, friends, colleagues, and fellow supporters of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). Speaking at the memorial, advocate Thulasive Twalo promised the family that they will do anything to find the killers. “We are going to find Ayanda’s killers. This is not a threat, it is a promise. He was a gift to us from God and now we must tip-toe around his killers like Ayanda didn’t dedicate his life to defending and fighting for your children,” said an emotional advocate Twalo.

Twalo has offered a R100,000 reward for anyone with information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators.

‘We become victims of the same townships
we seek to better’

The memorial, attended by over 100 people, paid tribute to the activist advocate with many remembering Gladile as “selfless and passionate” about his work. “It is sad how Ayanda died. We are here to rewrite his biography but when we leave here today we will leave with the sad reality that he is no more […] We become victims of the same townships we seek to better,” said Ashley Leeuw a friend and lawyer from the Black Lawyers Association.

Gladile’s friend of over fifteen years, Lungani Mondleki, said he met Gladile at Harry Gwala Secondary School where they both wanted to be lawyers and later went on to study for an LLB at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). “My friend was so vibrant and passionate about developing students. He was selfless and always wanted to assist academically excluded students even before qualifying as an advocate,” said Mondleki.

‘We need to organise to defend ourselves
against the criminals’

Mzimasi Sibeko, who was mentor to Gladile, described him as a sharp political educator and urged the communities to organise so that they can defend themselves. “This is not the first death like this: Philela and Ras Moziah were killed in this manner and no one was arrested for their deaths. We need to organise so that we can defend ourselves against the criminals,” he said.

In 2019, the Community Safety department in the Western Cape published a report that found that detective services in the province were in a dire state as they are under-resourced, lack training and that their work is not guided by intelligence. A case has been opened, but no arrests have been made. Warrant officer Nosiphiwo Mtengwana, from Harare police station, has urged the public to come forward with any information.

“We are hoping that the police can find the killers, but we don’t trust that they will. We have started to gather our own information outside of the police,” said Mbulelo Dwane, the Black People’s National Crisis Committee spokesperson.

Gladile will be buried this Saturday in Mthatha. Twalo can be contacted on 072 373 7354.

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Housing Assembly, a social movement that seeks to address housing inequality across South Africa, has launched a campaign looking into the housing waiting list. The organisation has received mounting calls from citizens for assistance.

Having surveyed a thousand residents of poor communities mainly in Cape Town, the organisation claims that the beneficiaries of houses could not have been sourced from the waiting list, as citizens have been on the housing list since 1997.

“We are on the ground, because we see that our communities have been left behind. In Manenberg, one of our pilot communities, there are people who have been on the waiting list since 1997 even though there have been three [housing] developments,” said Kashiefa Achmat, chairperson of Housing Assembly.

The City of Cape Town (CoCT) has maintained that housing allocations are done in the order of the housing waiting list. “Beneficiaries of all City housing projects are allocated in accordance with the City’s Allocation Policy and Housing Needs Register. The City considers housing opportunities on a first-come, first-served basis, and takes age and special needs into consideration,” reads the email from the CoCT.

The Housing Assembly doubts this explanation as there are many beneficiaries still awaiting houses. The organisation has asked to see the waiting list, but were denied for reasons of confidentiality and the POPI Act.

“We have seen the corruption within these developments. LRC [Legal Resources Centre] is currently tackling the issue with the city,” added Achmat. Elitsha reached out to the LRC but they could not comment yet as they are still doing their due diligence to investigate.

If housing was being provided for citizens according to the waiting list, people who registered between 1985 and 2006 should be in houses, according to Kenneth Matlawe, political education organiser at Housing Assembly. However, according to surveys done by Housing Assembly, there are people from as early as 1997 who still do not have houses and people who were registered much later live in houses. “I have been on the housing waiting list since 1999. I registered again in 2007, now it’s been almost sixteen years since I re-registered,” said Ayisha Abrahams (59) an unemployed woman from Manenberg.

Abrahams has been to the CoCT’s offices many times only to be told to throw away her red book and to wait for the city to contact her. “It would be a dream come true to get a house. I live in my sister’s backyard with my daughter, two grandchildren and her husband,” said Abrahams. “The house is too tiny for us as I am in a wheelchair and it is not safe as my sister’s child is on drugs and usually steals from us,” she added.

The Housing Assembly says that they have discovered that the City of Cape Town is bumping some people up the housing waiting list. Photo by Asive Mabula

Many communities, outside of the Western Cape, are reaching out to the Housing Assembly for assistance as well, thus showing that this is a national problem. “There is no specific time-frame which residents must wait before they may be allocated a housing opportunity as it depends on the availability of housing opportunities and whether applicants qualify when the opportunities do become available,” said the city.

They reiterated that housing projects have different dynamics in terms of size, the number of applicants who may qualify and the application date range for that project. “Every housing project has a cut-off date. However, in the case of Manenberg, the cut off was 2006 but there are people who registered as early as 1997 that still have not got houses,” said Matlawe.

The Housing Assembly said that since embarking on this campaign, it has discovered deeper problems with the allocation of houses and the housing waiting list as a whole. “The argument of the City of Cape Town and the national government has been that people are jumping the list, but we have found out that they are in fact the ones doing that,” said Matlawe.

The movement for a more efficient housing waiting list has been started, as the Housing Assembly continues to do surveys in townships. “The City remains committed to providing homes to residents in well-located areas close to public transport, jobs, government services and public amenities. It is important to note that there is a shortage of affordable housing in South Africa, the Western Cape and Cape Town,” added the city.

Activists from Reclaim the City, credited by some in the housing sector as helping to re-ignite the City of Cape Town’s commitment to social housing. Archive photo: Mia Arderne/GroundUp

Ndifuna Ukwazi, an activist organisation and law centre that advocates for access to well-located land and affordable housing, found that property developers are interested to include affordable housing in their projects. “The City of Cape Town has been arguing that it is not possible or desirable for private developers to include some affordable housing in their developments,” said Nick Budlender, a researcher at Ndifuna Ukwazi.

There is currently no policy that states how private developers can incorporate affordable housing in their developments, and even without a policy, Ndifuna Ukwazi found that there are private developers that are interested. “Even without a policy, we found thirteen developers who were interested in including affordable houses in their developments. This would have accounted for 600 affordable homes,” added Budlender.

Corruption of Cape Town’s housing waiting list being investigated, first appeared on WWMP .
Corruption of Cape Town’s housing waiting list being investigated

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