GroundUp

On Monday patients at Walmer Gqeberha Clinic were told to use other clinics in Gqeberha following a break-in. Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said, “The clinic closed on Friday afternoon and when staff returned on Monday they found the clinic broken into and vandalised. A case of housebreaking and malicious damage to property is under investigation.” Department of Health spokesperson Lwandile Sicwetcha said the clinic was damaged, computers destroyed, plumbing removed, fire … [Read more...] about Gqeberha clinic closed by crime

Thousands of taxi owners and drivers disrupted services in Gqeberha (Gqeberha) centre on Tuesday. They are demanding answers about their Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) funds. The funds were paid to the Gqeberha District Taxi Association. Now the association is threatening to sue the department for releasing TERS payments details to some drivers which led to the protest. Over 2,000 taxi owners and drivers disrupted services at the … [Read more...] about Chaos erupts at Gqeberha taxi ranks over Covid-19 funds

At least two people including Western Cape secretary of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) were arrested during a standoff between police and protesters in Cape Town CBD on Wednesday. The protest was part of demonstrations organised by the union and supported by other affiliate groups across the country. GroundUp attended demonstrations in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Gqeberha (Gqeberha). The aim of the protests is to show workers’ frustration over the impact of the pandemic … [Read more...] about At least two arrested during standoff between police and SAFTU in Cape Town

Shingirai Musekiwa and Elton Chibhebhe fled Zimbabwe to come to South Africa because they are gay. Now based in Langa, the couple are activists fighting for the human rights of Zimbabwean homosexuals and the repeal of section 78 of the Zimbabwean Constitution which criminalises homosexuality. They’ve dubbed their movement Zimbabwe LGBTQ+ Crusader and say they have had interest from about 200 people. “We are demanding that the section of the Zimbabwean Constitution that criminalise gay … [Read more...] about Zimbabwean couple demand gay rights

As early as 2am on Friday morning, water spouted sky high from an open drain in NU29 in Motherwell, Gqeberha (Gqeberha). Ten terrified families fled their shacks. About 20 other shacks were flooded with residents’ furniture drenched. By 11am, the problem was still not fixed. Municipal workers at the scene promised to fix the burst within four hours. Video by Thamsanqa Mbovane A police van arrived and police told children to stop playing in that water “or we will arrest … [Read more...] about Shacks flooded by vandalised pipe in drought-stricken Gqeberha

Prisoners at St Albans Correctional Services went on a hunger strike over the weekend. They have been demanding better conditions at the facility among other things. Some complaints were that the prison was flouting Covid-19 safety regulations with overcrowded cells and that infrastructure was dilapidated and water pipes leaking. The South African Prisoners’ Organization for Human Rights says the issues at St Albans have been “coming for years” but are common to many correctional … [Read more...] about Prisoners give management an ultimatum

At least 45 KwaDwesi Extension residents staged a sit-in at the Housing Development Agency (HDA) offices in Newton Park on Wednesday morning. They are demanding money towards rent — rather than for bungalows to be erected for them — while their homes are being rebuilt. But the Eastern Cape human settlements department says the contractors are not allowed to give the money to beneficiaries. This despite the fact that it was done for a previous group. At least 45 members of the … [Read more...] about Protesters occupy Housing Development Agency

  The Gqeberha Department of Labour came to a halt on Tuesday morning for about an hour when about 100 Algoa Bus Company drivers marched to the offices and demanded money they say they are owed from the government’s Covid-19 Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (TERS). The workers claim that some were only paid for four months and others have not received a cent. They wanted to know how much TERS was paid to the company and how much was distributed to the workers. Department of … [Read more...] about Bus drivers march to Department of Labour

  Long before Covid-19 hit, the Eastern Cape health system was already in crisis. Years of neglect are evident at the flagship Livingstone Hospital in Gqeberha, designated as one of the province’s main Covid-19 hospitals. The peeling paintwork, grimy entrances and occasional broken window seen from the outside reflect the state of affairs on the inside. In November, about the time that Médecins Sans Frontières pleaded with doctors in its network to volunteer at the hospital, … [Read more...] about Grimy, broken-down, neglected: can this be the Eastern Cape’s flagship hospital?

  In November 53-year-old Colleen Swigelaar died of Covid-19, and with a broken heart. Days earlier, as the illness was taking hold in her own body, she had witnessed her sister Antoinette die. Swigelaar was convinced that she had carried the virus home from her job as a casualty nurse at Livingstone Hospital, the Eastern Cape’s flagship health facility in Gqeberha, to infect her sister. In her last moments, she was riddled with guilt. This emotion was at odds with the dignity … [Read more...] about Eastern Cape’s health workers have been betrayed by Covid-19 corruption

  Two groups of informal settlement residents near Govan Mbeki village in Gqeberha have clashed over illegal electricity connections in the area. Residents have also accused leaders of selling plots, increasing the already overcrowded population in the settlement. On Monday, a fight broke out between about 100 shack dwellers after the group living near Area 20 started removing the izinyoka connections of residents living near Area 16. The first group claims that additional … [Read more...] about Shack dwellers clash over illegal electricity

  Late Monday afternoon eNkanini informal settlement residents in Makhanda continued with protest action they had started last week Thursday. They set fire to an Eskom pole and blocked a road with burning barricades in Mayfield. About 100 protestors were dispersed by police. Patricia May, one of the protest leaders, said they would not stop until the settlement is electrified. She said the Makana municipality kept making promises. “They come and say the work will start on … [Read more...] about Makhanda shack dwellers protest for electrification

  Commuters say the Kariega–Gqeberha train service has steadily deteriorated under PRASA. Trains are rusty, filthy and late; stations are in ruins. Yet the cost of travel has rocketed since PRASA stopped selling monthly tickets. Commuters travelling between Kariega and Gqeberha say they struggle daily with dilapidated, filthy trains that are late. They are fed up with poor service from the Passenger Railway Agency of South Africa (PRASA). On Friday morning, … [Read more...] about PRASA service gets worse even as it hikes ticket prices

  There have been a number of protests by residents in Gqeberha saying the Coega Industrial Development Zone hires people from outside Nelson Mandela Bay. The Coega Development Corporation says more than 86% of its employees are local. The Ibhayi Workers Forum do not want ward councillors involved in the hiring process. The forum and Coega met Tuesday, but the forum says it is not happy with the outcome of the meeting. The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) … [Read more...] about Coega residents torch buses and trucks, demand jobs

  Residents of Sizinzi Street in Motherwell’s NU30, Gqeberha say their countless attempts to stop sewage from overflowing have been in vain. They complained that children in the area were found playing in the murky puddles because they don’t have playgrounds. The overflowing manhole is right outside Nomvuyo Ncapayi’s home. She said her yard is drenched in human excrement. “The problem is intermittent. This is why l am demanding a permanent solution. It is not healthy to live … [Read more...] about Children play in sewage in Gqeberha