Good News 14:30

BULLETIN 4 March 

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# The film Death of a Whistleblower has clinched the title of Best African Film at the sixth Joburg Film Festival held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. Produced by South African filmmakers, the movie tackles themes of corruption, morality, and justice, striking a chord with audiences. Film producer Tshepiso Chikapa-Phiri emphasises the dangers faced by whistleblowers and urges South Africans to safeguard those who expose corruption within the justice system.

# The University of the Western Cape recently received the Siyaphumelela Network Award, for advancing data-informed student success interventions. The award celebrates the work of all South African partner institutions in advancing equity and driving student-centred transformation while enriching student success work done in the US with global insights. Siyaphumelela, which was created in 2014, is a network of South African universities and has grown from five to 17 universities.

# Western Cape MEC for Mobility, Ricardo Mackenzie, handed over 60 bicycles to cycling clubs, entrepreneurs, and neighbourhood watches at the inaugural George Bicycle Day in partnership with the George Municipality and other stakeholders. Mackenzie was joined by MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Reagen Allen. Allen says this is part of the provincial government’s Bicycle Distribution Project, which boosts community safety efforts and the local economy while promoting bicycles as a sustainable, affordable, and healthy transport mode:

# The Gauteng Health Department says in the past three years it has made progress in ensuring that as many people as possible have access to hearing aids. The department has issued hearing aids to 16-thousand-753 qualifying people in the past three years up to January this year. The department’s spokesperson, Motalatale Modiba, says currently 566 people are on the register to receive hearing aids in the new financial year:

# And finally: Vambo Technologies has launched a groundbreaking language accessibility platform to meet the linguistic needs of African communities. Vambo A-I’s co-founders, Chido Dzinotyiwei and Isheanesu Misi, says the platform will empower users to communicate, learn, and create content in diverse African languages. It will also promote cultural inclusivity and overcome linguistic barriers. Dzinotyiwei emphasises that ‘Vambo,’ meaning ‘Origin’ or ‘Beginning,’ signifies the integral role of language in African heritage. The app will enable people to reconnect with their roots through language, culture, and heritage using artificial intelligence.

Stay tuned for more news………….