After a court battle lasting ten years, the new centre is set to open next year By Tariro Washinyira The long-awaited Cape Town Refugee Reception Centre in Epping is finally taking shape, with builders hard at work on the site of the new building. The office is due to be opened early next year after court battles which have lasted ten...

Empowerment project stumbles in Khayelitsha, showing the complexity of providing solutions to informal settlements By Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik Qandu Qandu informal settlement residents in Khayelitsha say they have feel duped by a project that pairs a solar energy company with the Umbane project led by professors at UCT and Exeter University. The participants say they cannot afford the monthly usage fees for...

The short answer Unfortunately, if the deceased has living siblings, you will not inherit. The whole question Dear Athalie My girlfriend, our child and I have been evicted from my late aunt's house by her younger sister who claims that the house belongs to her and her remaining siblings. But my aunt told us that when she passed everything she owned must go...

The court has put a stop to the seismic survey along the Wild Coast By Tania Broughton The High Court has ruled that the exploration rights granted to Impact Africa and Shell along the Wild Coast were unlawful. The judges said there was “no meaningful consultation” with interested and affected parties prior to the award of the right. The Minister of...

Research shows the grant can help end hunger and also contribute to economic growth By Carilee Osborne South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world, with extremely high rates of poverty and unemployment. Large numbers of people are excluded from the economy without the means to ensure that their basic needs are met. Recently there has been a lot...

The short answer You can apply for a FLISP grant as part of the government's “Help-Me-Buy-a-Home” scheme The whole question Dear GroundUp I earn R9,000 a month. This means that I don't qualify for an RDP house, but I also can't get a home loan from the bank. I want my own house. What can I do? The long answer The objective of the Finance...

The short answer You could make a sworn affidavit explaining your circumstances, but you may need legal help. The whole question Dear Athalie How can my 19-year-old brother get a birth certificate when he has no proof of birth (he was born at home), his father's whereabouts are unknown, our late mother did not have an ID? My mother's death certificate is handwritten,...

The Zimbabwean Immigration Federation seeks to defend the rights of Zimbabweans living in South Africa By Tania Broughton The Zimbabwean Immigration Federation is to challenge the decision by the South African government to scrap permits for Zimbabweans. The federation says the permit system was a solution that substantially reduced pressure on asylum management and curbed the ineffective deportation of Zimbabweans. It...

The short answer Domestic workers are eligible for UIF and state pension. The whole question Dear Athalie Our domestic worker has resigned after nine-and-a-half-years' full-time work. She is 65 and has arthritis and diabetes. We haven't been contributing to her UIF because we thought she would get a state pension and couldn't get both. What do we do? Should we backpay her UIF and...

Meanwhile, many R350 grant beneficiaries have been waiting months for their payments By Marecia Damons Many people who rely on the R350 Social Relief of Distress grant say they have been waiting for months for their payments. SASSA has acknowledged the backlog in payments. Social Development minister Lindiwe Zulu has proposed that the income threshold for SRD applicants be raised from...