Good News

BULLETIN 1 April

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# SANParks has graduated 24 elite rangers, doubling its Sea, Aerial, and Mountain team at Table Mountain National Park. Spokesperson JP Louw says SEAM’s operations include canine units, aerial support, and vessel patrols. He says these rangers, trained in para-military operations, will enhance visitor safety and environmental protection. Louw says this initiative strengthens efforts against poaching, robbery, and illegal plant harvesting, ensuring security in protected areas.

# ​Tangible Africa’s three-year partnership with the Basic Education Department and teacher unions has resulted in the training of 40-thousand teachers in coding. The teachers received training in amongst other things, the BOATS and TANKS Apps, between 2022 and last year. This has led to the formation of coding clubs in schools and increased participation in competitions such as Coding4Mandela. Tangible Africa says the partnership enabled schools with limited resources to teach unplugged coding and robotics effectively.

# An innovative project aimed at growing the youth media voice has given rise to a digital journalism hub at the Nelson Mandela University, which syndicates the work of student writers to national media and online start-ups. Khulani! is a website which supports first-year students that are enrolled for a compulsory Writing for the Media module, to produce publishable and professional online feature articles. Over half of the stories published have already been republished by online content partners, including Health for Mzansi, MyZA, and GoodThingsGuy.

# The University of the Western Cape says India Arie’s song I Am Not My Hair, has challenged society’s long-held beauty standards, questioning the idea that a person’s worth or identity should be tied to their appearance. Hair has long been more than just strands growing from the scalp, it carries history, culture, and personal identity. UWC second-year BCom Information Systems student, Zoe Groep, says the natural hair movement has gained momentum over the years, challenging outdated beauty standards:

# And finally: Award-winning director, Sam Mendes, is making four movies about the Beatles, set for theatrical release in April 2028. The films will focus on each band member. Set to star in the films are Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. Mendes, whose credits include American Beauty and Skyfall, says the movies are a chance to understand the biggest-selling music act of all time a little more deeply.

Stay tuned for more news………….