Good News

BULLETIN 7 February 

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# The award-winning Ladysmith Black Mambazo will embark on a national tour starting in May, with performances lined up in Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg. The renowned South African vocal group is currently touring the United States and Canada as it marks 65 years in the music industry. The group is also planning to perform in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. Ladysmith Black Mambazo member, Sibongiseni Tshabalala, says the tour is a celebration of the group’s rich musical heritage and enduring legacy.

# University of Johannesburg alumna and newly crowned Mrs World, Tshego Gaelae, says she remains focused on her core purpose, advocating for education, social impact, and breaking barriers for women and young people. She is a practising attorney, advocate for education, and founder of the non-profit organisation, We Are Our Children’s Keeper. Gaelae says the organisation is dedicated to providing school shoes and uniforms to underprivileged children. The university says her dedication to uplifting communities is a reflection of UJ’s values, impact, transformation, and leadership.

# Nelson Mandela University student, Ethan Tilney, together with two of his friends, Christopher Blignaut from the University of Cape Town, and Wits’ Talha Niazi, won the 2024 Tata Consultancy Services Sustainathon Challenge. This is a global competition using technology to solve real-world problems. Over 170 teams from around the world participated. The three friends, who call themselves Nexura, won first place including 35-thousand-rand in cash, and a three-month internship and training programme at Tata in India.

# Twenty-two-time Grammy Award-winning rapper, Kendrick Lamar, says he aims to infuse his Los Angeles hip-hop flavour into New Orleans while staying true to his storytelling roots during Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime performance. The 37-year-old will make history as the first solo hip-hop artist to headline the halftime show. Lamar told Apple Music that getting the opportunity to represent hip-hop on a global stage like the Super Bowl is everything he has worked for:

# And finally: Australian scientists have produced the world’s first kangaroo embryo through in vitro fertilisation in a breakthrough they say could help save other species from extinction. Using specimens from eastern grey kangaroos, the researchers successfully injected a single sperm cell into an egg, but said achieving a live birth would require more work. The feat provides important insights into marsupial breeding and could aid efforts to improve the genetic diversity of endangered species. Australia houses the largest variety of marsupial mammals but also has the highest rate of mammal extinctions.

Stay tuned for more news………….