Good News 14:00

BULLETIN 18 January 2 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# The DA has congratulated matric learners who wrote the Independent Examination Board’s  National Senior Certificate examinations, on their outstanding pass rate of 98.46 percent. The party says, the learners started their Grade ten year amid the Covid-19 pandemic which was a tremendous challenge, and they should be incredibly proud of all they’ve accomplished. The DA’s Baxolile Nodada says, a total of 15-thousand-180 candidates wrote the IEB exams in 2023, of which 88.59 percent achieved a Bachelor’s degree pass:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa is inaugurating a housing project in Kimberley in the Northern Cape today. The Presidency reports the project aims to construct four-thousand-168 units, with a minimum of two-thousand-500 units expected to be completed this year. The initiative seeks to address the demand for housing opportunities in the province, where 80-thousand households lack adequate housing. The Northern Cape government has applied for a 600-million-rand loan from the Development Bank of Southern Africa to supplement its baseline grant allocation for housing.

# Three-hundred schools in North West are now serving breakfast to learners. The meals are provided through the National School Nutrition Programme to mitigate the impact of poverty on learners in economically depressed communities. North West premier, Bushy Maape’s spokesperson, Sello Tatai, says this programme is well received and to date the provincial government did not experienced any hiccups:

# The Western Cape Blood Service has commended 103 high schools for contributing nearly 13-thousand blood units in 2023. Notable schools, including Outeniqua High School in George and Fish Hoek High School in Cape Town, rank among the top ten for collections. With an annual rise in blood demand, the service stresses the importance of expanding the active donor base. Spokesperson Marike Carli has encouraged more high schools to establish blood donation clinics.

# And finally: George in the Western Cape experienced a bustling holiday season, particularly from the 22nd of last month to the third of this month, with accommodation levels reaching 80-percent to full occupancy. Shorter stays, around four to five days, were common, with increased domestic visitors from major cities in Gauteng, and from Cape Town and Gqeberha. George mayor Leon van Wyk credited the success to the innovative approaches of participants in the tourism sector, and the municipality’s thorough preparedness for the tourist season:

Stay tuned for more news………….