NEWSFLASH NEWS AGENCY 11 February 2 pm

Good afternoon,

Here is your Good News:

# Various individuals and businesses came together to restore the roof of a 60-year-old farmer from Garies in the Northern Cape after it was blown off in a storm. Founder of civil justice group We Are South Africans, Gil Martin, says the farmer was facing complete ruin after nine years of drought. With building materials donated from Build-It Boland and help from a transport company and a builder, Leon Mostert, the farmer now has a roof over his head. Martin says bringing hope to forgotten communities is what it is all about.

# The City of Cape Town has signed a financing agreement of 84-million-rand with the German bank, KfW Development Bank. This is with the purpose of funding the appointment of expert services that support the implementation of the city’s water strategy. The mayoral committee member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, says the funding will provide safe access to quality water and sanitation services, ensure water resilience, and create a shared water future for all Capetonians:

Play sound: ENG ZahidONWater

# Johannesburg performance poets Jonathan Lefenya and Ashlee Cayte Abrahams-Fitzgerald are the two poets who have won a place at the Hear My Voice poetry retreat this weekend. They were chosen out of 100 submissions. Lefenya says he is excited to be chosen to be part of the retreat and it means that he gets to explore his talents and be amongst amazing creatives. Hear My Voice is a non-profit organisation based in Tshwane that supports spoken word artists.

# The Cancer Society of South Africa is hosting its annual Shavathon fundraising event at shopping centres across the country on the 26th of February. A spokesperson, Lucy Balona, invites South Africans to come and celebrate the day by bringing family members, friends or colleagues, to shave or spray their hair with colour, in solidarity with those facing a cancer diagnosis. She says certain venues may also host an event on the 27th:

Play sound: ENG LucyONColourEvent

# And finally: Seventeen-time Grammy Award singer Sting has become the latest musician to sell off his music rights. He has sold his songwriting catalogue, including solo work and hits with the Police like Every Breath You Take, to the Universal Music Group. The transaction is estimated to be worth 3.7-billion-rand or more. Other musicians who have sold their rights to songs include Tina Turner, Taylor Swift, David Bowie, and Bob Dylan. Sting says it is absolutely essential that his career’s body of work has a home where it is valued and respected.

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