News Bulletin of 28 October 2025, 3pm

Fifteen-year-old Phodisho Maganyela from Lesedi Secondary School in Bronkhorstspruit has won the 2025 Bokamoso Creative Essay Competition.
His essay impressed judges with innovative ideas on how young people can help solve South Africa’s social, economic, and environmental challenges through science and engineering.
The competition, hosted by Knight Piésold and the Gauteng Department of Education, encourages learners from public schools to think creatively about building a sustainable future.
Maganyela’s win highlights the power of youth innovation and the importance of supporting young thinkers through mentorship and STEM opportunities.

Standard Bank Group has been ranked 28th in the world by Forbes in its 2025 World’s Best Employers list.
The bank is the highest-ranked company from Africa and South Africa, and third in the global banking and financial services sector.
The recognition reflects the commitment of Standard Bank’s 54,000 employees to sustainable growth and client impact across the continent.
Forbes’ rankings are based on anonymous surveys of over 300,000 employees in more than 50 countries.
This follows recent accolades from Time Magazine and Newsweek recognising Standard Bank for excellence and trustworthiness.

A 65-year-old woman in England was able to play her clarinet for the first time in five years while undergoing deep-brain stimulation surgery for Parkinson’s disease.
The procedure, performed under local anesthesia, aims to restore motor control by delivering electrical currents to electrodes implanted in the brain.
During the four-hour operation, surgeons asked her to play the instrument to test improvements in hand movement.
Doctors confirmed the procedure successfully restored some motor function, and the patient reported she is already noticing improvements in walking and hopes to resume swimming and dancing..