News Bulletin of 17 June 2025, 8am

The Standard Bank Art Lab in Sandton City has transformed the mall into a vibrant cultural hub. The gallery says  it seeks to build a dynamic space for experimentation across visual arts, fashion, and performance. Curated by Dr Same Mdluli, the lab will bring art directly to the public featuring works by artists like William Kentridge and Allina Ndebele. Dr Same Mdluli has this to say: SOUND

In celebration of Youth Month, the Cotton On Foundation has launched a bold new initiative aimed at transforming literacy outcomes in South Africa. Titled “Beyond Words”, the national campaign sees the Cotton On Foundation and the Nomzamo Lighthouse Foundation come together in a long-standing and now extended partnership, with the collective goal to raise and invest R20 million into literacy across the country. The initiative comes in response to the stark reality that 81% of Grade 4 learners in South Africa are unable to read for meaning, while 78% of public schools still operate without libraries. But it also signals hope: a united, focused and long-term drive to improve literacy across the country and change the story.

A distinguished academic jointly affiliated with the University of Cape Town and the University of Oxford, has been appointed as Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours List. Professor Lucie Cluver serves as an honorary professor in UCT's Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, and as a professor of Child and Family Social Work at Oxford. The recognition honours her outstanding contributions to children’s wellbeing and global public health. In partnership with Professor Ward, Cluver co-leads the Global Parenting Initiative, launched in 2022. The project delivers free, evidence-based parenting support aimed at preventing child abuse, exploitation and family violence.