Equal Education say underfunding will cause even more overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and learners going without meals By Marecia Damons Equal Education and SECTION27 say although the national budget increased funds for basic education, in real terms spending per learner is decreasing. Of major concern are cuts in funding for teachers, which will lead to shortages and even more overcrowded classrooms. ...

The court overturned a will written 119 years ago which stipulated that only male descendants could inherit By Tania Broughton The Constitutional Court last week overturned a clause in a will written 119 years ago, which specified that only male descendants could inherit the family’s farms and properties. At the heart of the matter was the issue of freedom of testation in private...

“Government appears to be leveraging the pandemic to suppress dissent” By Stanley Malematja This month, the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) published updated regulations with amendments to the December and January adjusted alert level three lockdown. A number of measures aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19 were relaxed, including bans on gatherings at faith-based institutions. Yet, there have been...

The Scalabrini Centre’s #access4EVERYchild campaign is assisting families By Tariro Washinyira A Zimbabwean woman, who prefers to stay anonymous, says she had been struggling since last year to get her child into school. She went to every school in Parow, but all refused to enrol her child for grade one. As a result, the child spent a year at home. The child...

Rape survivor argues police did not investigate properly By Tania Broughton On Tuesday the Constitutional Court will hear the case of Ms K, who was repeatedly raped in Port Elizabeth in 2010. She argues that the police failed to act fast enough or to investigate her case properly. She won damages in the Port Elizabeth High Court but the Supreme Court...

“We really need this grant, as small as it may appear” By Tariro Washinyira and Mkhuseli Sizani Beneficiaries of the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant, which has been discontinued, are hoping the government will change its mind on the R350-a-month grant. Beneficiaries who had not yet been paid out for January queued yesterday at post offices around the country. They said the...