Good News

BULLETIN 2 October

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# New laboratory research from Stellenbosch University suggests rooibos may counteract the activity of estrogen in breast cancer cells. Estrogen is often described as a kind of driver of breast cancer growth, because many breast cancer tumours carry receptors that respond to it. Senior lecturer in biochemistry, Nicky Verhoog, says because so many breast cancers are sensitive to estrogen, the possibility that rooibos might help block its effect is significant:

# The University of Fort Hare will confer an Honorary Doctor of Commerce to one of South Africa’s most respected lawyers and distinguished business leader, Advocate Thandi Orleyn. She is being recognised for her immense contributions to commerce, law, and social justice. She was the first black woman to lead both the Independent Mediation Service of South Africa and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration. The university says Orleyn’s work in employment law, consumer law, and customary law has left a lasting impact on South African jurisprudence. 

# The Durban Girls Secondary School, represented by Mawande Makoba and Kadogo Teila, has won the Durban University of Technology’s Super Chef Competition title for the second time. They won the first one in 2023. The competition, hosted by the Department of Food and Nutrition in collaboration with the DUT School Engagement Project, required the contestants to plan, prepare and present a two-course meal. DUT says the purpose of the competition was to encourage learners to use indigenous and healthy ingredients in cooking to enhance the nutritional quality of meals.

# The Namaqua National Park, through the Corporate Social Investment funding, has reopened four soup kitchens in Soebatsfontein and surrounding towns in the Western Cape. The soup kitchens had been closed due to insufficient funds and a lack of resources. SANParks spokesperson, JP Louw, says funding for the essential infrastructure and resources needed to restart these facilities has now been secured. He adds the kitchens will once again provide regular meals, offering crucial support to these previously disadvantaged communities:

# And finally: Hundreds of unique vernacular place names from the Cederberg have been saved from obscurity, thanks to veteran cartographer Peter Slingsby. In his newly launched book, Cederberg – The Book, Slingsby documents nearly 500 names once preserved only through oral tradition, including Slangbosfontein, Vogelgesang, and Jakkalskop. He says place names are vital to cultural heritage and human history. Slingsby says the book safeguards a sense of place for future generations.

Stay tuned for more news………….