Good News

BULLETIN 8 July

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# The Stellenbosch University Choir won three gold medals at the Interkultur European Choir Games and Grand Prix of Nations 2025 competition in Aarhus, Denmark. The competition saw 132 choirs from 33 countries competing in various categories. The SU choir won gold in all three categories it competed in: Adult Choirs; Jazz, Pop, Show; and Musica Sacra a Cappella. Conductor André van der Merwe says he is extremely proud of his students:

# Rhodes University walked away with two Silver and one Bronze Ovation Awards at this year’s National Arts Festival in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape. Silver went to the critically acclaimed A Childhood in Chalk, and s’il vous plait – a seductive cabaret by music lecturer Garreth Robertson and performer Mistress Mae Aisitahn-Yafais. Ndingekafi: Whispers of Redemption – performed by the Kwantu Choir, which includes current and former Rhodes students, received a Bronze Ovation Award. The awards honour productions that move audiences, spark conversation, and display technical and creative excellence. 

# Cape Town’s 2024/25 cruise season has closed on a high, with 83 ship calls, eleven of them inaugural visits. Passenger and crew numbers rose by 16-percent. The season contributed 1.32-billion-rand to the local economy and supported two-thousand jobs. In March alone, Cruise Cape Town recorded a historic 22 ship visits, the highest number seen in a single month this season. Other highlights include Cunard’s Queen Anne’s first visit to South African shores in April. Officials say the cruise sector is key to Cape Town’s tourism growth and job creation goals.

# The City of Tshwane has relaunched its Employee Service Excellence Awards to honour municipal workers who embody public service values and the Batho Pele principles. Councillor Kholofelo Morodi says the initiative promotes a performance-driven culture and recognises everyday commitment and innovation. The metro has also contracted 100 new cleaners in a bid to end outsourcing, ensure fair employment, and improve service delivery. Morodi says Tshwane is shifting towards valuing workers’ rights and rebuilding internal capacity for long-term impact.

# And finally: Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa has partnered with the City of Ekurhuleni to empower 113 informal traders through its Township Economy Revitalisation Programme. Traders received training in customer service, finance, and business operations. Coca-Cola invested 936-thousand-rand, providing qualifying traders with branded equipment and linking them to distributors for ongoing support. The company’s Michael Tsholo says this initiative aims to boost local economic growth and sustainability.

Stay tuned for more news………….