Good News 14:00

BULLETIN 4 January 2 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# South Africans are set to enjoy 14 public holidays this year as mandated by the Public Holidays Act. However, the country will lose a public holiday as Freedom Day falls on a Saturday. Citizens will have an extra day off on June 17 to observe Youth Day, falling on a Sunday. The second bonus holiday awaits on the day of the national elections, when president Cyril Ramaphosa is anticipated to declare it a public holiday. The leap year this year also brings a boon for employers, adding an extra workday to the calendar.

# The City of Cape Town says the year has exited stage left on the calendar as the best performer in terms of events, since before the Covid-19 pandemic. The City’s Events Permit Office permitted over one-thousand-200 events. Research studies on three key events hosted in the city during this period revealed a substantial 2-billion-rand economic impact. Mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith says a further 1,9-billion-rand in economic activity was generated by just 20 of the events hosted in the calendar year:

Staying in Cape Town: The Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, in collaboration with FNB and Cape Town Beach Cleanup, is set to undertake the third summer beach cleanup series at Sea Point’s Broken Baths Beach tomorrow. The initiative aims to address litter and debris accumulating on beaches during the festive season. FNB Commercial Provincial Head for the Western and Eastern Cape, Stephan Claassen, highlighted the opportunity to raise awareness about the perils of plastic pollution and instigate changes in consumer behavior, by encouraging more conscious decisions regarding everyday plastic use.

# Lucy the dog is hailed as a heroine in a town in Arlington in the US after waking her owners to alert them about a fire across the road. The mixed-breed dog’s unusual style of barking made Douglos O’Connor leap out of his bed, and then he saw the neighbours’ detached workshop was on fire. He called the authorities, who were able to extinguish the flames before it could reach the home where the occupants were still sound asleep. The firefighters later returned to give Lucy a well-deserved pat on the head.

# And finally: A woman has been reunited with a handbag that was stolen 30 years ago, after it was found washed up in Aberdeen in Scotland. The bag had been taken from 81-year-old Audrey Hay at her former workplace in the city. It is thought the thief may have taken money from the bag before throwing it into the River Don. Eleven-year-old Maisie Coutts was walking at the mouth of the Don with her parents when she found the old bag on Tuesday. They found the owner’s name on a credit card inside the back and tracked her down through social media.

Stay tuned for more news………….