News Bulletin of 22 August 2026, 10am

Headline 1
Aspiring economists invited to apply for SARB 2027 Bursary program
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The South African Reserve Bank is calling on aspirant economists who will be entering their first year of undergraduate studies in the 2027 academic year to apply for its external bursaries programme.
The programme offers financial support to qualifying students from disadvantaged backgrounds as part of addressing the shortage of skills in South Africa.
The External Bursary Scheme and several external scholarships and bursaries are made available annually to qualifying prospective undergraduates, in support of the Reserve Bank's corporate social initiatives.

Applications can be sent by email to:sarbbursary@ttibursaries.co.za
The closing date for the submission of applications is on Wednesday the 30th of September 2026.
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Headline 2
George to host 2026 National Criterium Championships
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George is gearing up to host the 2026 South African National Criterium Championships from the 31st of October.
Event organiser Dunette Neuhoff says the
Cornerstone Lifestyle Centre has been confirmed as the official race village for the two-day event, which will bring together cyclists, supporters and the wider community.
Organisers say more details on the race programme, participating riders and road management plans will be announced in the coming weeks.

The event aims to reinforce George’s reputation as one of South Africa’s leading destinations for road cycling and major sporting events.
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Headline 3
HerStory Festival amplifies women’s voices
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The HerStory International Theatre Festival returned to QwaQwa in the Free State province
earlier this month.

The festival showcased theatre, music, dance and storytelling under the theme: "Her Story, Her Voice, Her Stage.
The event sought to amplify women's voices while highlighting the province's potential as a thriving cultural tourism destination.
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Financial Indicators headline
Financial Indicators
Teaser / Tailpiece headline
APOP breaks Spotify South Africa's streaming record
Teaser / Tailpiece story
Grammy award winning South African singer and songwriter Tyla's APOP album has reached Number 1 on the Spotify South Africa Top Albums chart, making her the second South African female artist to achieve the milestone, alongside South African singer, songwriter, Makhadzi.

APOP broke the record for the biggest album streaming week by a local female artist, with more than 2.1 million filtered streams in the first full week.
The project recorded over 4.8 million streams globally in its first full day of release.
Split analysis
Local: 106 words (43%), National: 143 words (57%), International: 0 words (0%)