Good News

BULLETIN 18 July 

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# Lanseria International Airport in Gauteng is hosting its second annual Nelson Mandela Day career expo under the theme Giving Flights to Your Dreams. The event welcomes over 400 learners from various schools, offering guidance from top experts in aviation, defense, and technology. Sponsored by SAAB Grintek Defence, Axis Aviation, and the South African Civil Aviation Authority, the expo promotes Mandela’s legacy of innovation, education and opportunity. Lanseria is historically significant, having welcomed Mandela after his release from Victor Verster Prison in 1990.

# Walter Sisulu University’s Student Chapter of the South African Association of Public Administration and Management has launched a donation drive to support families affected by the recent deadly Eastern Cape floods. A total of 103 people died and thousands were displaced in the June floods, with the OR Tambo and Amathole districts being the hardest hit. The donation drive has already seen success, with SAAPAM distributing flood relief items to families in Mthatha West’s Slovo area. The organisation says compassion and kindness can make a real difference in times of crisis.

# University of the Witwatersrand physicist professor, Andrew Forbes, and University of Cape Town paediatric neurosurgeon professor, Anthony Figaji, are the recipients of the 2.5-million-rand Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award. The prize rewards high-calibre scholars who are engaged in cutting-edge and internationally significant research. Research by Forbes could unlock the viability of quantum computing, while Figaji’s research could make South Africa the fulcrum of life-saving advances in paediatric brain injury response.

# A rare piece of Mars has sold for 77-million rand at a New York auction. The largest Mars meteorite ever found on earth, known as NWA 16788, weighs 24.5 kilogram and is nearly 38 centimetres long. According to Sotheby’s it was discovered in a remote region of Niger in November 2023 and is 70-percent larger than the next biggest piece of Mars that has been recovered. Only about 400 Martian meteorites have ever been found on Earth.

# And finally: The Zip Zap Circus’ latest show, Chasing Dreams, is showcasing at the Dome in the Cape Town CBD this weekend. The show follows The Dreamer, who wakes up, unsure if she’s still in a dream. She embarks on a journey through the acts, chasing her dreams and overcoming challenges along the way. Zip Zap Circus’ Tamryn Escalante says the story is told through jaw-dropping aerial feats, high-energy acrobatics, and explosive choreography, by the full spectrum of Zip Zap’s extraordinary talent:

Stay tuned for more news………….