Good News

BULLETIN 23 July 2 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has reported a significant drop in rhino poaching since starting a dehorning initiative in April. Previously, 30 to 40 rhinos were poached monthly, but this has dropped to an average of five per month from May to July. Spokesperson Musa Mntambo says Ezemvelo has started erecting a new smart fence at the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park to curb rhino poaching. The conservation body is also employing fence walkers from local communities to patrol perimeter fences daily and repair any damages.

# The University of Pretoria says 38 organisations have donated more than 15-million-rand to its Giving Matters campaign so far. The campaign seeks to raise funds to assist students who do not qualify for National Student Financial Aid Scheme funding. In 2022, the year the campaign started, 31-million-rand was raised from 504 donors, while last year, 834 donors contributed about 36-million-rand. The university says it is grateful for the philanthropic spirit demonstrated by every student and donor who has contributed.

# Milani Education has been named as one of seven startups from Stellenbosch University that will compete in the regional round of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education Intervarsity competition next month. The nonprofit organisation was launched in 2020 by Alexandra Lutz, who is currently in her first year of a data science degree at the university. Milani Education is a free online learning platform that provides educational content from the current curriculum for learners in grades eight to 12 across South Africa.

# The City of Cape Town says 27 libraries recently hosted in-house coding sessions, attracting 438 participants across more than 30 teams. Two teams from Elsies River Library made it to the top three. They will now go up against top performers from other libraries, to determine who will advance to the national competition in October and then the World Tournament in December. Mayoral committee member for Community Services and Health, Patricia van der Ross, says coding has become very popular:

# And finally: King of pop music Michael Jackson’s signed drawings will be auctioned off in Los Angeles next month. King’s Auctions says Jackson was influenced by many art genres, from classical and architectural to pop art and even formal portraiture. It adds that he also had a great fondness for London and British customs. Seventy-eight pieces will be auctioned off. Jackson died in 2009 at the age of 50.

Stay tuned for more news………….