Saturday, 3 June 2023
Magnificent Mndebele grew up in the impoverished village of Thokozane. As such, he values journalism that covers remote rural areas from a social commitment perspective.
Frustrated land claimants are battling to develop a farm that could bring meaningful change to their lives. And they are hindered by the very people who should help them.
Farm owners and agricultural companies continue to illegally destroy the graves of dispossessed residents to make way for planting and deny relatives access to pay their respects and perform rituals.
Covid-19 and budget cuts have combined to create a nightmare for those seeking help with cases of unfair dismissal or suspension, which have risen because of the pandemic’s economic effects.
Skilled workers line the streets in towns and cities across the country, hoping to get any job they can. But the odds of being picked are small, and some spend weeks waiting.
After the deaths of three employees who got trapped in a control room, workers allege that management frequently coerces them to bypass health and safety procedures.
Musa Masajar’s main source of income took a knock when South Africa plunged into lockdown last year. But it also gave him time to work on another passion that now entertains thousands.
The company has been ordered to reinstate and compensate employees it dismissed unfairly after a strike. And although a court review may delay justice, the workers won’t give up the fight.
Pickers stop South Africa from drowning in its own garbage, rescuing tons of recycling from landfills full to bursting. Nonetheless, they endure stigma, neglect and exploitation.
Shortages in personnel and protective equipment have left nurses and support workers in clinics at risk of contracting the virus, and so crippling hospitals in the province.
Residents of this township in one of Mpumalanga’s coal-mining districts have been benefitting from grassroots initiatives to turn ugly dumping sites into precious green spaces.
Current and former workers at SG Coal, a large company that has a monopoly on coal hauling in the province, have accused it of unbearable working conditions and unfair treatment.
Residents in villages situated near mining activities are exposed to dangerous hazards that claim their health, damage their homes and threaten their livelihoods.
The future of thousands of former employees and trainees looks decidedly bleak after they were retrenched in what they – and labour unions – say has been an opaque process.
The Sibanyoni family in Carolina, Mpumalanga, is mourning the death of Thulani, who was allegedly beaten and severely wounded along with his friend by local Spar managers in a storeroom.
Residents of a farm in Mpumalanga say they endure unbearable working conditions and routine abuse from the farmer, despite having lived on the land for decades.
While there seems to be agreement between the government and the taxi industry in relation to Covid-19 regulations, commuters and taxi drivers find themselves without a voice.
In this eighth instalment of New Frame’s series on police violence, the residents of some small villages in the province recount the violent punishments meted out to them by local officers.
Men and boys carry on playing football in the Mpumalanga highveld, as if there were no Covid-19 and lockdown. To most, the pandemic is but a distant tale.
Companies and the government have been evicting small-scale farmers off the land they have lived on and worked for years. Many have lost homes – and more are on the line.
Striking Numsa members at Rustenburg’s LanXess chrome mine will not budge until management has addressed profiteering, corruption and sexual harassment.
While Stats SA has released a fourth-quarter survey that contains discouraging unemployment figures, a study shows that it costs almost R1 000 a month to search for work.