Good News

BULLETIN 17 March 

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# After nine months stranded on the International Space Station, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will return to Earth tomorrow. The duo, who were originally due to be on the ISS for only eight days, got stuck on the station in June last year after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft had propulsion issues and was deemed unfit to fly them back to Earth. Wilmore and Williams will be transported with another American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon craft, which arrived at the ISS yesterday.

# For the seventh year, TIME has released its list of the world’s 100 greatest places to visit in 2025, highlighting everything from resorts to cruises to museums, restaurants, and national parks. In South Africa, The Manor in Johannesburg and the Few and Far Luvhondo Hotel in Limpopo made the list. Other places that have made the list include the newly-restored Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Namibia’s NamibRand Nature Reserve, Nintendo’s first-ever museum in Japan, and Denmark’s newly opened Tiny Seaside resorts of Loddenhøj and Skarrev.

# The University of Fort Hare’s Student Representative Council’s One Meal a Day, has officially been launched. This self-funded programme aims to support unfunded and underfunded postgraduate and undergraduate students by providing a healthy meal daily. The initiative operates in three key phases: gardening, foodbank, and cooking one meal daily. Vice-chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu says they are building a new culture of giving, rather than one of always taking.

# The Thrift for Good Market in Cape Town will support sustainable shopping to assist local charities. Shoppers can find pre-loved clothes, accessories, and footwear while benefiting the Salvation Army, U-Turn, and Help the Rural Child. The market organisers are encouraging donations of quality second-hand items. This event promotes the circular economy while uplifting vulnerable communities. The event will run from March 28 to 30 at Blue Route Mall from 9am to 5pm.

# And finally: The City of Cape Town’s Library and Information Service is encouraging all residents to return 40-thousand-112 overdue library items to the city’s libraries with no penalties. South African National Library Week is happening from today until Sunday, during which citizens celebrate the role of libraries in the communities. Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Francine Higham, says the missing items, valued at over 4.6-million-rand, include much-needed children’s books and study guides:

Stay tuned for more news………….