Good News

BULLETIN 24 October 

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# The port of Cape Town has been awarded Africa’s Leading Cruise Port at the World Travel Awards. This is the second consecutive year the port has received this accolade. Mayoral committee member for Economic Growth, James Vos, says this recognition highlights the port’s rising prominence in the cruise industry, with 88 vessel visits and around 130-thousand passengers expected in the 2024/’25 season. He adds that each cruise visit contributes about 100-million-rand to the local economy.

# National Geographic has revealed the 25 best places in the world to travel to in 2025. These include Guadalajara in Mexico, popular for its mariachi festival, a collection of islands off the coast of British Columbia, Haida Gwaii, and Bangkok to see the 17th-century Buddhist temple Wat Chaiwatthanaram. The Irish city of Cork, the hometown of Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy, has also made the list for its vibrant culture. National Geographic’s editor-in-chief, Nathan Lump, says the list taps into the joy of travel and the excitement of discovery,

# The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s School of Arts and Centre for Jazz and Popular Music will host its firstaAnnual Music Showcase on the first of November. This multi-genre concert will celebrate the diversity of the university’s music department. It will feature performances by the African Music and Dance Ensemble, and UKZN Jazz Ensemble and operatic excerpts by the UKZN Opera students from a Zulu translation of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Umtshingo wemilingo. Tickets for the showcase range from 80- to 180-rand.

# Rhodes University in Makhanda has integrated 26-year-old local artist Lithemba Nziweni’s ongoing photography series, Hairitage, into its academic curriculum. At the heart of the series is a nuanced exploration of identity, culture, and history through the lens of hair as a symbol. The series offers a platform for critical engagement with themes of decolonisation, identity politics, and representation. The university says this achievement, while pivotal for Nziweni’s career, is also emblematic of the institution’s continuing effort to celebrate diversity and recognise the significance of local narratives.

# And finally: Santa Shoebox Project CEO, Deb Zelezniak, says more than 65-thousand pledges have already been received, an incredible show of generosity by South Africans. Each year, the project collects and distributes personalised gifts of essential items and treats for underprivileged children throughout South Africa and Namibia. In 18 years, over 1.2-million have been reached. Zelezniak says the project has grown from a simple gift-giving initiative to something that creates lasting change in communities:

Stay tuned for more news………….