News Bulletin of 30 May 2025, 8am

Sandton is celebrating executive chef Donaldson Madu bela of NH Sandton’s Tradewinds Restaurant. He will represent South Africa and Africa at the 2025 Global Chef Competition Senior Semi-Finals in the UAE. With over 15 years of experience,Madu bela will join chefs from Namibia and Morocco to showcase Africa’s culinary talent alongside participants from Syria and the UAE. Inspired by his father, Madubela began cooking as a child and has since built a successful career in top kitchens around the world. For the competition, he has created a five-course menu that blends South African flavours with global influences.

A 17-year-old from Rosettenville, Johannesburg, has made history by graduating with a degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Pretoria. Mongiwa Hazel Ntuli, is one of the institution’s youngest-ever graduates. Her achievements have drawn national attention, with the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Pamela Nkabane.Ntuli’s academic journey has been hailed as a standout example of talent, discipline, and determination. Navigating university life years ahead of her peers, she has been recognised as a symbol of what is possible through education and resilience.SOUND

A decade after first hearing Sigur Rós’s 2013 track The Stream, percussionist and researcher Konstantine Vlasis is using sound to study the impact of climate change on glaciers. As part of his PhD, supported by New York University and the Leifur Eiríksson Foundation, Vlasis has travelled to Iceland’s highest peaks to record the subtle sounds of cracking ice and flowing meltwater. Trained in soundscapes—an approach that combines sound and environment—he believes listening offers a powerful way to understand glacial change that often goes unseen.