Daanyaal Matthews

By Odwa Bafana Mkentane The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) is calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to sanction Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube over her decision to keep the new Foundation Phase textbook catalogue suspended. The union argues that investigations into the procurement process have cleared it of wrongdoing, but Gwarube maintains that concerns around non-compliance, governance and procurement risks remain. Speaking to VOC News, SADTU Secretariat Officer Xolani […]

By Odwa Bafana Mkentane Patients at the Site B Khayelitsha Community Health Centre are facing yet another challenge, with broken toilets affecting a facility that serves between 25,000 and 28,000 people every month. Speaking to VOC News, Khayelitsha Development Forum (KDF) chairperson Mawande Jara says, according to the facility manager, this has been happening for the past two weeks or so. “In their capacity as the management of the institution, […]

By Odwa Bafana Mkentane The South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) Western Cape has welcomed a landmark Peace and Ceasefire Agreement between CATA and CODETA, calling it a significant breakthrough for the province’s minibus taxi industry and the commuters who depend on it. The two regional structures reached the agreement through a mediation process involving government, committing to resolve disputes through established structures and to place the safety of commuters […]

By Odwa Bafana Mkentane An environmental coalition made up of the Baboon Management Western Cape, Baboon Matters Trust, Beauty Without Cruelty and Baboons of the South says they are preparing criminal charges against the South African Navy over alleged long-standing environmental and statutory violations. The groups accuse the Navy of poor waste management, neglected and dilapidated buildings, and conditions that allow baboons to access human food waste and occupy unsafe […]

By Odwa Bafana Mkentane Khayelitsha Development Forum (KDF) hopes the newly opened R87.4 million Acute Psychiatric Unit at Khayelitsha District Hospital, which is providing 30 purpose-built beds for patients experiencing acute mental health conditions, will add value to the lives of the area and improve the situation. KDF chairperson Mawande Jara says the Psychiatric Unit will be helpful for the community and at large. “We welcome this great initiative by […]

By Odwa Bafana Mkentane The South African Students Congress (SASCO), at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, has welcomed the unconditional withdrawal of the university’s proposed 2027 Financial Recovery Plan. SASCO says the decision is a victory for students, particularly those from working-class and poor households, who it says would have been unfairly burdened by the proposed plan. The student organisation credits sustained student mobilisation and collective action for forcing […]

By Odwa Bafana Mkentane South Africa’s airports, including OR Tambo International Airport, Cape Town and King Shaka International Airport, are increasingly coming under the spotlight as potential gateways for organised crime and international drug trafficking. This follows the seizure of more than 330 kilograms of cocaine at OR Tambo International Airport last week, while authorities recently uncovered a crystal methamphetamine laboratory worth an estimated 600 million rand in Musina. With […]

By Odwa Bafana Mkentane The ANC in the Western Cape is calling for the removal of two of its councillors after Thembinkosi Mjuza appeared on the DA’s candidate list submitted to the IEC, while Lindile Sonyoka has defected to the Patriotic Alliance. The developments have opened another front in the battle for political control of Cape Town, raising questions about councillor loyalty, party switching and what these defections could mean […]

By Odwa Bafana Mkentane Residents of Salt River, together with PAGAD, the EFF and Al-Jamaah, have taken to the streets in a community safety walk aimed at confronting the growing scourge of drugs and crime in the area. Memorandums were handed directly to alleged drug merchants, with residents warning that they are tired of criminality and demanding a safer, cleaner neighbourhood. The action highlights growing frustration within the community and […]