News Bulletin of 1 September 2025, 4pm

The Linden Life Saving Club hosted a spring fun day on August 30 at Linden Swimming Pool, bringing the community together for water safety activities.
Club member Doug Herbert said the event aimed to teach children, some as young as six, how to stay safe in and around water and prevent drownings. Activities included learning self and friend rescues, floating with pool noodles, and an introduction to CPR.
Herbert highlighted that many communities lack access to formal facilities, contributing to high drowning statistics, and stressed the importance of awareness from a young age.
The club hopes the fun day will instil water safety skills and confidence in participants of all ages.

AVBOB has strengthened its commitment to literacy with the opening of its 71st container library at Bashele Primary School in Ermelo, Mpumalanga.
Valued at more than R532 000 and stocked with 3 000 books, the facility offers learners a new space to read, research and explore.
The project, which began in 2013, has already invested over R35 million, donated more than 210 000 books and impacted nearly 64 000 learners nationwide.
Bashele Primary, established in 1968, now joins a growing network of schools benefiting from this long-term initiative. AVBOB says the libraries are more than book collections; they are investments in future generations and a catalyst for lasting change in education.

Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala have joined forces to create a vast biocultural reserve in the heart of the ancient Mayan empire.
The protected area spans more than 14 million acres across the three countries, making it one of the largest intact tropical rainforests in the Americas.
Home to around 2 million people and millions of plant and animal species, it holds cultural treasures such as Mayan ruins and traditions, alongside iconic wildlife like jaguars and quetzal birds.
Leaders from the three nations say the agreement honours the Mayan legacy while safeguarding biodiversity.
The new reserve will be jointly managed to tackle threats like illegal logging and transnational crime, while promoting sustainable development and eco-tourism.