Fort Hare’s cattle projects are a lesson in bad governance

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View this email in your browser 28 November 2025 Part 1: Fort Hare's cattle projects were supposed to help Eastern Cape farmers. Instead they are a lesson in bad governance Forensic reports uncover arithmetical errors, unaccounted-for assets and absent oversight, probably resulting in the loss of tens of millions of rands for the university By Raymond Joseph, Johnnie Isaac, Nathan Geffen and Daniel Steyn   Part Two: Dodgy Nguni cattle deals uncovered at Fort Hare A forensic investigation of a research farm found cattle sold for below market prices By Raymond Joseph, Johnnie Isaac, Nathan Geffen   Eastern Cape families go to court over water Despite a court order, the Amathole District Municipality has not provided water to Centane villages, they say By Liezl Human   State must stop xenophobic vigilantism at clinics, court told Médecins Sans Frontières, Treatment Action Campaign and Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia launched an application in the South Gauteng High Court By Kimberly Mutandiro   SAPS won't return to Telkom Towers despite millions spent The complex was evacuated in February 2024 amid safety concerns By Matthew Hirsch Would you sign up for a daily email roundup of news we publish? Yes No Disability organisation loses Constantia land claim battle South African Riding for the Disabled Association will have to vacate property By Tania Broughton   Festival showcases disabled artists Singers, dancers, painters at three-day Unmute ArtsAbility Arts Festival in Cape Town By Mary-Anne Gontsana and Ashraf Hendricks   "Sink hole" families to be moved Dozens of Khayelitsha families have been living above a collapsing sewer pipe By Vincent Lali and GroundUp Staff In the past year, GroundUp and the Limpopo Mirror have reported on a string of sports complexes and stadiums, each built for tens of millions of rands, but never completed or used. Several have been left to fall into ruin. Together, the projects have cost municipalities more than R200-million and have not served their communities. And these are just the stadiums that have come to our attention. Read more. In photos: Thousands protest to end violence against women Government classifies GBV and femicide a national disaster, but it's unclear what policies will follow from this Ashraf Hendricks, Ihsaan Haffejee, Ishmael Mabena, Johnnie Isaacs, Thamsanqa Mbovane and Tsoanelo Sefoloko   GBV victims travel nearly 200km to reach nearest state shelter A local resident has now turned her own four-room home into a safehouse for many women in Beaufort West who have nowhere to go By Mary-Anne Gontsana   Fewer than half of Elim's boreholes work and municipal water tankers are a rare sight Private water sellers are filling the gap, but the municipality says they are acting against the law By Thembi Siaga In photos: Wynberg main road — a safe haven for immigrant families People from the diaspora call this old part of Cape Town home By David Harrison   UCT astronomer's photo of neutron star makes headlines Kelebogile Gasealahwe's work could shed light on jets emitted by these stars By Michael Cherry   R22-million Limpopo sports complex stands unused Makhuvha Sports Complex outside Thohoyandou has been left to ruin By Ndivhuwo Mukwevho Lesotho and South African organisations at loggerheads after USAID funding cuts The Mosepele Foundation Development Forum has accused Mothers2Mothers South Africa of withholding funds but the latter says it has no choice By Sechaba Mokhethi   Lesotho to release hundreds of prisoners to reduce overcrowding The government says it is busy implementing recommendations made 22 years ago by the Judge White Commission into prison conditions By Sechaba Mokhethi   Court orders Lesotho dams authority to pay 600 villagers compensation Villagers in Bobete lost access to riverine resources since the Katse Dam was built By Sechaba Mokhethi In Beaufort West, survivors of gender-based violence are travelling almost 200km to reach the nearest state shelter, leading one resident to open her own home as a safe space. At UCT, astronomer Kelebogile Gasealahwe's photo of a neutron star is gaining international attention for its insight into stellar jets. And in Cape Town, the Unmute ArtsAbility Festival is celebrating disabled artists through three days of performances and exhibitions. Lester Kiewit speaks to Barbara October of GroundUp about these stories. Listen to the interview here. Tune in to 567 AM at 6:40am on Wednesdays to hear more of GroundUp's news that matters. CLICK TO DONATE Clue: Someone who takes it upon themselves to enforce the law without any legal authority to do so Play GroundUp's Target, released every Monday and Friday.  Try our daily Sudoku. It gets harder every day. Did you know GroundUp has an agony aunt? From SASSA grants to evictions and immigration, if you have a question, just Ask Athalie! Read her answers to our readers' questions here: https://groundup.org.za/qanda/ GroundUp has a WhatsApp Channel with audio summaries of our articles. Click here to join. 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