News Bulletin of 25 January 2026, 8am

South African artists David Kramer and the late Taliep Petersen have received Cape Town’s highest civic honour, the Freedom of the City. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis presented the awards at a ceremony celebrating their creative legacy and iconic collaborations on musicals such as District Six: The Musical and Kat and the Kings. Hill-Lewis described the pair as true custodians of Cape Town’s soul.

Oxford University Press Southern Africa and AVBOB are preparing to expand the Road to Literacy Campaign in 2026. After more than 430 Gauteng schools benefited from Road to Literacy in 2025, including 120 in Johannesburg, the campaign is back and inviting communities to help make an even bigger impact. This year the initiative is doubling its reach to 2 000 trolley libraries. This is equivalent to one million CAPS-aligned books in all 11 official languages for under-resourced schools nationwide.

Keith Boyd made history by running from Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront to Cairo in just 301 gruelling days. Aged 59, Boyd earned a Guinness World Record for the fastest run by a man on the route. Boyd began his journey in July 2023, using the epic run to amplify the work of RainbowLeaders.org.za. He founded this organisation after completing his MBA to empower young Africans through education, voting and accountable leadership. Boyd ran to give RainbowLeaders a stronger voice to raise awareness and funding for future leaders across the continent.