News Bulletin of 24 November 2025, 5pm

University of Pretoria architecture students have teamed up with residents of Melusi informal settlement to turn an abandoned shack into a new youth centre.
The timber-clad MYDO 2 won the Maverick Prize at the Timber Design Competition and provides a safe space for the Melusi Youth Development Organisation to expand programmes for local youth.
The project also added a waiting area for the community clinic, with relocatable buildings and open-source manuals so other communities can adapt the designs.
UP says the collaboration highlights how students, researchers, and residents can work together to address real needs and guide future urban upgrades.

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has welcomed the support of India, Brazil, and South Africa for the new IBSA Network on Quality Foundational Learning.
Announced on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, the network aims to strengthen early childhood and early primary education across the three countries.
South Africa will lead efforts to share best practices, improve teaching quality, expand digital access, and ensure inclusive learning.
The initiative seeks to boost literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional development, positioning foundational learning as a key driver of human development and economic growth across the Global South.

A studio in Mumbai is turning waste into design, giving a traditional livelihood for Dalits, a historically marginalised community, a new twist.
Chamar Studio recycles old tyres and inner tubes into bags, shoes, and furniture, offering cruelty‑free and eco‑friendly alternatives to leather.
The initiative grew from necessity after beef bans across India disrupted leatherwork, which many Dalits relied on.
Founder Sudheer Rajbhar says recycled rubber became a sustainable material, allowing artisans to continue their craft.
The studio employs local artisans, provides fair wages and profit-sharing, and helps them exhibit their work internationally.
Rihanna’s appearance on one of the studio’s flap chairs at Design Miami 2024 put the collective on the global stage.
The studio says its next goal is to scale production and train more artisans as demand for its recycled designs grows.