Good News

BULLETIN 17 September 

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# The Automobile Association is expecting a significant fuel price reduction to start the summer, based on unaudited data from the Central Energy Fund. Petrol, diesel, and illuminating paraffin are set to drop, with petrol prices decreasing by up to 1-rand-26-cents-per-litre. Spokesperson Eleanor Mavimbela attributes this to lower international product prices and the Rand’s strong performance against the US Dollar:

# The University of Pretoria and the University of Leeds have been shortlisted for the 2024 Times Higher Education Award for International Collaboration of the Year. The awards are widely regarded as the global “Oscars” of higher education. The two institutions have collaborated to enhance complementary research expertise, focusing on food systems and sustainable agricultural practices. The University of Pretoria says this nomination is primarily attributed to the significant contributions of the Food Systems Research Network for Africa, which has been a key driver among several impactful initiatives.

# Artivist Natania Botha and 20-year-old creative Kevash Naidoo have created the Sustainable Springbok Sculpture, celebrating the Springboks’ Freedom Cup win. Currently on display at the Gordon Institute of Business Science in Johannesburg, the mosaic sculpture is crafted from a recycled mannequin and sustainably sourced materials. Botha says the sculpture represents the fusion of art, sport, and environmental responsibility.

# Six finalists for the 2024 Booker Prize have been announced, with five of the books by female authors, the highest number of women shortlisted in the prize’s 55-year history. The prize honours the best work of fiction written in English by authors of any nationality and published in the UK and Ireland. Yael van der Wouden is the first Dutch writer to be shortlisted for the prize. Other authors on the list are Britian Samantha Harvey, Americans Percival Everett and Rachel Kushner, Canadian Anne Michaels, and Charlotte Wood of Australia.  

# And finally: For the first time since being crowned Miss South Africa, Mia le Roux, will be visiting her hometown of Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape this weekend. The 28-year-old marketing manager, model and part-time B-Com marketing student, made history last month, by being the national pageant’s first deaf woman to hold the title. Le Roux’s visit will include being honoured with a street parade, afternoon tea with representatives from Oudtshoorn schools, a visit to an Ostrich Farm, and a special canapé dinner at the world-famous Cango Caves.

Stay tuned for more news………….