Good News

BULLETIN 20 August 2 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# The University of the Witwatersrand’s Flower Hall Test and Examination Centre has been shortlisted in the Creative Reuse category at the World Architecture Festival. This year’s WAF finalists represent 71 countries, with the top five shortlisted countries being China, Australia, the United Kingdom, India and Singapore. Wits says the centre, created by Savage and Dodd Architects, includes an energy-efficient system, ensuring a modern, functional space while preserving its historical significance.

# The University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Natural Agricultural Sciences is set to launch FARM@UP, the first of its kind in Africa. This is a 570-hectare integrated, agricultural, high-tech, sustainability-focused research, training, and skills development facility. The university says it is designed to unlock the multidisciplinary future of agricultural research and development. The institution’s professor Barend Erasmus says FARM@UP will be a working farm for the practical training of scholars, students, and industry practitioners.

# Hout Bay residents in Cape Town celebrated the establishment of a new food forest. The initiative, supported by Food and Trees for Africa, saw the planting of 25 fruit trees and 25 indigenous trees. This project aims to address food insecurity by providing fresh produce for the community. The efforts are further aimed at fostering collaboration and sustainability in the area. By integrating these green spaces into the urban landscape, the initiative seeks to create a lasting impact on local food resources.

# Nelson Mandela University’s doctor Thobekani Lose has received an Honorary Fellowship at the Centre for Business and Economic Research in London. He is the head and researcher for the Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator. Lose is one of three selected from 31 applicants, based on their outstanding contribution in the field of entrepreneurship education and business research. The university says over the years he has, directly and indirectly, mentored more than one-thousand-254 small businesses in various provinces, and raised over 100-million-rand through stakeholder engagement and partnership.

# And finally, the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture has honoured a master weaver from KwaZulu-Natal, Beauty Ngxongo, for her exceptional isichumo baskets. She uses only natural materials and plant-based dyes. Ngxongo has gained international acclaim for her work including her woven basket being displayed in New York’s Museum of Art in 2020. The department says Ngxongo has elevated traditional craft to a contemporary art form, becoming a design pioneer in the process.

Stay tuned for more news………….