News Bulletin of 4 July 2025, 3pm

The University of Pretoria has launched its annual fundraising drive called Giving Month, running throughout July to help students facing hunger and financial hardship.
The campaign supports two key projects: the Student Nutrition and Progress Programme, which provides food to students in need, and the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship Fund for “missing middle” students who don’t qualify for government aid but can’t afford tuition.
UP has partnered with the Vodacom Bulls and Bulls Daisies to raise awareness and invite donations of money and food.
A Food Pack-a-Thon will take place on 30 July at UP’s Hatfield Campus to prepare food parcels for students in need.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Francis Petersen says this effort ensures no student must choose between their next meal and their education.

The Higher Education Department has tabled a R142.4 billion “budget of hope” aimed at expanding access, improving quality, and addressing youth unemployment.
Minister Nobuhle Nkabane says the funding will grow to R158 billion by 2027, with major boosts for universities, TVET colleges, and NSFAS.
The department plans to train 30,000 artisans by 2030 and open new campuses in Giyani, Gauteng and the Northern Cape.
Digital learning, artisan training, and rural partnerships are central to the plan, while a Central Application System will soon streamline student access.
Officials say the budget is a tool to break poverty cycles and empower young people across the country.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Africa’s largest hydroelectric project, is now complete and will be officially inaugurated in September.
The dam, spanning 1.8 kilometres on the Blue Nile, is expected to generate over 5,000 megawatts—more than double Ethiopia’s current electricity output—and support the country’s growing energy needs.
While Ethiopia views GERD as vital for development, downstream neighbours Egypt and Sudan remain concerned about potential impacts on their water supply.
Abiy stressed the dam is a “shared opportunity” and promised it would not harm either country, calling for cooperation and shared prosperity.
The dam has already begun generating electricity since early 2022 and marks a major milestone in Ethiopia’s push for electrification.