Good News

BULLETIN 8 January 

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# Kindness Like Confetti is pleased with the impact of its holiday initiatives across Johannesburg. The organisation delivered handmade items for premature babies at Thelle Mogoerane Hospital, provided underwear to women through Project Uplift, and shared festive cheer by gifting residents Christmas presents in Cosmo City and at the Eeufees Old Age Home. According to the organisation, these efforts will continue this year, furthering their commitment to spreading kindness and supporting communities.

# A team from the University of the Witwatersrand won 200-thousand-rand in seed money in the final round of the inaugural National Innovathon Challenge. The team, EcoCane Innovations, was recognised for its project, which aims to reduce plastic pollution by producing biodegradable bioplastics from sugarcane. The team says its bioplastics are designed to combat the growing issue of plastic pollution in South Africa by providing a biodegradable and renewable solution.

# Eswatini and the Mpumalanga province have made CNN Travel’s list of 25 destinations that are worth visiting this year. The Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, the third biggest canyon in the world, is a must-see for visitors in Mpumalanga. While Eswatini’s Sibebe Rock, which is the largest exposed granite pluton in the world, is a challenging but rewarding hike. Other places that have made the list include Almaty in Kazakhstan, Germany’s Chemnitz, and Gdańsk in Poland.

# The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Bews Herbarium in Pietermaritzburg recently celebrated the completion of a four-month-long imaging process, advancing the availability of the leading herbarium to support critical research into South Africa’s flora. This process was led by the Natural Science Collections Facility. The university says founded in 1910, the Bews Herbarium now houses just under a quarter of a million plant specimens, including flowering plants, seed plants, ferns and seaweeds, and each one of these has now been photographed.

# And finally: A hiker who went missing for nearly two weeks in New South Wales, Australia has been found alive, having survived on water from creeks, foraged berries and two muesli bars. Medical student Hadi Nazari went missing on Boxing Day after he wandered off to take photos during a hike with his friends in Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains region. Hundreds of people joined search efforts to locate the 23-year-old. He was found in good health, alert, able to speak and had no significant injuries.

Stay tuned for more news………….