Good News

BULLETIN 16 April

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# South African Olympic gold medallist, Caster Semenya, delivered the keynote address at Harvard Kennedy School’s Women in Power Conference in the United States. Under the theme, Reimagining Power: Building a New Legacy, she joined fellow Olympian, American Lauren Scruggs, for a powerful conversation on resilience, purpose, and identity. In her speech, Semenya spoke about how she has remained unbeatable in spirit and resilient despite adversity. She described the experience as a dream come true.

# Boksburg ballerina Abigail Sandwell has been selected to represent South Africa at the 2025 Dance World Cup Finals in Spain. Dancing since the age of three, she has earned top awards, including gold at the East Rand Dance Festival and the lead role as the Jewel Fairy in Sleeping Beauty. Sandwell has launched a BackaBuddy campaign, hoping South Africans will help her realise her dream of dancing on the world stage. The finals are scheduled to take place from the third to the 12th of July.

# Western Cape MEC for Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, Ivan Meyer, says South African Tourism’s annual performance report for 2024 highlights the robust recovery of the province’s tourism industry. The report highlights an overall increase of 6.8-percent in international tourist arrivals to the province. Meyer says the report also shows that the Western Cape is excellent at attracting first-time visitors to South Africa, with nearly 49-percent of international tourists visiting for the first time:

# The City of Cape Town’s Events Permit Office has permitted and will be monitoring at least 27 events going into the Easter Weekend. These include world-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli’s 30th-anniversary concert, the Premier Cup soccer tournament and the 8th annual Family Day road-running event. Mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, says the metro is placing the highest priority on public safety. 

# And finally: The Johannesburg Development Agency has announced Lorenzo Nassimbeni as the winner of the Joburg City Library Public Art Competition. The South African architect, conceptual artist, and educator’s work explores ideas through drawing, which he regards as the primary language of design thinking. The City of Johannesburg’s spokesperson, Virgil James, says with a focus on social impact, Nassimbeni’s interventions aim to unpack urban and natural landscapes while remaining community-centred and visually resonant:

Stay tuned for more news………….