Good News

BULLETIN 23 September

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# Basic Education minister Siviwe Gwarube has welcomed the Bana Pele Early Childhood Development Mass Registration Drive, successfully registering and approving ten-thousand ECD centres. This is three months ahead of the original 31 December deadline. The minister has described this milestone as a victory for children, practitioners, and communities across South Africa. The department’s spokesperson, Lukhanyo Vangqa, says this success is a testament to what can be achieved when the government, the private sector, civil society, and communities join forces:

# The University of South Africa has won two prestigious awards from the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association. The win is in the Organisational Excellence in Research Management and Early Career Excellence in Research Management categories. This is the second time Unisa has won the highly prized Organisational Excellence in Research Management Award. Unisa’s professor Les Labuschagne says this recognition is testament to the dedication, vision and hard work of the entire Department of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation team.

# The Nelson Mandela University says it is experiencing remarkable growth in its postgraduate applications. According to the September applications data, postgraduate applications have so far increased by 47.8-percent year-on-year, climbing from 12-thousand-357 in 2025 to 18-thousand-268 in 2026. At the same time, acceptances rose by 42.56-percent, from 592 to 844. Student Recruitment deputy director, Jo-Ann Daniels, says the growth in postgraduate interest reflects the university’s formidable research pedigree and the intellectual freedom from the interdisciplinary orientation of the institution’s scholarship.

# Canadian rock legend Bryan Adams is officially bringing his Roll with the Punches Tour to South Africa in April next year. Four decades into his career, Adams is a Grammy-award winner with number one hits in more than 40 countries, alongside three Oscars and five Golden Globe nominations. His global hits include Everything I Do I Do It for You, Summer of ’69 and Run to You. Adams will perform in Cape Town, Pretoria and Durban. Tickets go on sale on Friday.

# And finally: A new exhibition titled Marie Antoinette Style has opened at the V&A South Kensington in London, marking the UK’s first exhibition on the French queen Marie Antoinette. The exhibition features 250 objects, including rare personal items owned by Antoinette, such as a pair of silk slippers, jewels from her private collection, and the final note she ever wrote before her death. Curator of Marie Antoinette Style, Sarah Grant, says Antoinette had a profound impact on European taste and fashion, creating a distinctive style that now has universal appeal and application.

Stay tuned for more news………….