South African teacher Nadine Smith has been awarded internationally for her efforts in STEM education. One of four global recipients, the educator was the sole African awardee.

Global (27 May 2025) — South African teacher Nadine Smith is a Coding and Robotics educator who recently made the local STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) field enormously proud when she was honoured with a prestigious award. Nadine was awarded the 025 EDGE in Tech Athena Award for Early Career Leadership!

Awarded by the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute (CITRIS) at the University of California, Nadine was honoured as part of a unique ceremony at UC Berkeley.

The South African teacher was the only recipient from Africa and one of just four global recipients of the award.

Nadine’s accolade celebrates individuals who are leading the charge in creating technology ecosystems that are more diverse, equitable and impactful.

“I believe every child deserves to see themselves in STEAM,” Nadine says. STEAM encompasses STEM fields but with the addition of art.

“Through coding and robotics, I strive to ignite confidence, curiosity, and creativity in learners, especially those who don’t yet realise they belong in tech. This award is not just a personal milestone, but a reminder of the importance of creating inclusive learning spaces where all young minds can dream, build and lead,” she says.

Beyond leading initiatives, Nadine also trains fellow teachers in integrating emerging technologies.

“It is incredibly important to recognise the people doing the difficult work of expanding access to essential tech fields,” explains Jill Finlayson, the Managing Director of the CITRIS Innovation Hub (which oversees the awards).

“Those who champion on-ramps into STEM, fair workplaces and welcoming cultures are critical to the development of innovative technologies and help ensure that new solutions will work well for everyone.”

Sources: Supplied 

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South Africa has struck gold once again at the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show following last year’s winning comeback!

London, United Kingdom (20 May 2025) — It’s another gold for South Africa at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London thanks to acclaimed horticulturist and floral legend, Leon Kluge, right-hand Tristan Woudberg and their larger team.

Following last year’s magnificent and winning comeback that ended a lengthy hiatus SA took from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, hopes were high that the 2025 South African floral display would continue our golden streak, hopes that bloomed in full.

This brings South Africa’s tally of wins at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (over a four decade period) to an incredible 39 medals; an inspired total considering that this is considered the world’s pinnacle flower show.

While last year’s display offered a slice of the mountains and the Cape Floral Kingdom’s wonders amid them, this year’s design was inspired by the ocean.

The design explored the influence that two oceans South Africa knows well, the Indian and the Atlantic, have on the flora in our country to gorgeous effect; offering both fynbos and cliff-dwelling plant arrangements to celebrate South Africa as “the flower basket of Africa” as Leon put it beautifully.

As such, the design required an incredible shipment of locally grown flowers and fynbos travel across the pond for the show. As Leon shares, there were approximately 25,000 stems that had to be cut by the team in order to get them into the water!

 

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A post shared by Leon Kluge (@leonkluge)

Revealing the gold win to South Africa, Leon explained that the team were nervous pre-show and that the win came as a wonderful relief.

 

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A post shared by Leon Kluge (@leonkluge)

South Africa couldn’t be prouder of our natural heritage and those who nurture and celebrate it as much as this team does.

Sources: Leon Kluge; GTG 

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In fantastic news from the chess world, South Africa’s own Caleb Levitan has become an International Master (IM) of chess at only 14 years old!

Johannesburg, South Africa (08 May 2025) — South Africa’s latest International Master (IM) of chess has officially been announced as fourteen-year-old Caleb Levitan.

It’s a monumental achievement for any chess player, let alone one who is still in high school. In fact, there are only a handful of International Masters of chess in South Africa. As such, Caleb has accomplished what most spend lifetimes striving toward!

Per Chess South Africa, Caleb is “the youngest ever to do so by achieving 3 IM norms and crossing the elite FIDE Elo rating of 2400.”

The young firecracker was also recently recognised as South Africa’s Top Active Chess Player by Rating.

“Caleb’s achievement is really meaningful,” says Emil Sutovsky, FIDE CEO. “It speaks volumes about his potential—which was noticeable already a few years back. Caleb participated in several camps and training sessions—as well as many championships organised by FIDE, and we are looking forward to providing more opportunities, including educational programs, aimed at the world’s most talented young players. South Africa is on its way to have a new Grandmaster after a long hiatus—and FIDE is happy and proud about that.”

All About Becoming an IM of Chess

The International Master title is awarded by FIDE, the global chess federation. It is awarded to chess players who demonstrate sustained excellence at a high level and are just one step below the Grandmaster title, AKA the black belt of the chess world.

To earn an IM title, a player needs to have achieved three ‘IM norms’; tournament performances that meet strict international standards and reach a FIDE rating of 2400 or higher at any point. This way, FIDE can ensure that the title reflects not only peak achievement but also consistent competitive strength.

More About Caleb Levitan

Caleb’s chess development, though seemingly rapid, is actually the result of years of disciplined play in both local and international arenas. His first big break came about in 2018 when he was just 8 years old. Then, he and his twin brother Judah shared first place at the African Youth Chess Championship in Kenya! Judah is currently a Candidate Master, who is currently ranked among the top 10 chess players in South Africa. Together, the twins are making South Africa proud with each move!

Caleb continued to ascend throughout different competitions, and in 2024 became the youngest South African to represent the rainbow nation at the Chess Olympiad that year.

Of his International Master title, Caleb shares:

“There have been a lot of sacrifices to get to this level, and I’m relieved that all the hard work paid off…I’m incredibly grateful for the support of my family, friends, and my amazing coaches. Hopefully there’s more to come—my dream is to become a Grandmaster.”

Sources: Email Submission 

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Angels are real, and they’re all over South Africa. Thanks to those among us who deserve wings, The Angel Network surpassed its goal to raise R 3 million, which will support a plethora of causes!

South Africa (07 May 2025) — In breaking good news for causes present and future across South Africa, the Angel Network has secured a fortune of over R3 million because angels are real, and this fundraiser is the proof.

In celebrating 10 years of the Angel Network and its Angel Vision, the non-profit organisation challenged itself to a mammoth fundraiser from 4-5 May.

Over 500 donors came to the party to raise an astonishing amount of R 3,037,928, and we can’t think of a better birthday gift for the Angel Network, which has spent the last decade leaving people better than they found them.

Who Are the Angel Network?

An incredible network of leaders, change-makers, active citizens, mothers, aunts, friends and helpers, the organisation founded by Glynne Wolman exists on a simple promise: to help wherever help is needed.

Thanks to the angels, people in destitute situations have received help in mere hours, young learners have been afforded shots at education they might otherwise never have had, future legal eagles have been supported and life-saving surgeries for little ones have been made possible.

With every new story tied to the network and ever-growing network, the organisation has reaffirmed that angels are real, and that they’re not as hard to find as some might suspect.

The funds raised as part of the ‘Angel Vision’ mission are set to support numerous causes—from community gardens to education efforts and means to restore dignity.

You can keep up with The Angel Network, here.

Sources: The Angel Network 

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South Africa’s favourite fuzzy friends just bagged a global win, and an extra-special one at that. Takalani Sesame has won the People’s Voice Webby Award for ‘Zikwe and the Triplets Bond Through Play’!

Global (24 April 2025) — In proud news for South African fans of Takalani Sesame young, mature and in-between, Sesame Workshops has walked away with an extra-special Webby Award!

At the 29th Annual Webby Awards (in which the best of the internet are honoured, from content creators to beloved online shows), Takalani Sesame scooped not just any win, but one determined by viewers themselves.

Last year, Sesame Workshop created an insightful campaign dubbed ‘Bond Through Play’ that was all about encouraging play with guardians (especially fathers) as an essential part of a child’s development.

Their social media campaign soon made it onto the Webby’s radar; earning Takalani Sesame an exciting nomination under the Video & Film—General Video & Film, Kids & Family section of the Webby Awards (which also fell under the Webby’s People’s Voice umbrella).

Thanks to the people who used their voices to show some love and voted, ‘Zikwe and the Triplets Bond Through Play’ took home the win as the People’s Voice Winner against competitors ‘City Island’, ‘Count on June Bug’ and ‘NBC Nightly News: Kids Edition’.

The Webby Winner this year was ‘The Go Go Brothers’.

Seeing South African creativity honoured amid internet royalty is no small feat, and one made it even more impactful considering the positive intentions that went into bringing ‘Bond Through Play’ to life.

For those interested to learn more about the campaign, you can read an earlier Good Things Guy feature giving you the full scoop, here.

Sources: Takalani Sesame; GTG 

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Caster Semenya recently sat down for a powerful conversation and the chance to share powerful lessons at Harvard, where she was a keynote speaker for the globally acclaimed Women in Power Conference!

Global (15 April 2025) — South African sports legend Caster Semenya recently made her way to Harvard University for the kind of experience she described as a dream turned to reality.

Last weekend, the Olympic Gold Medalist was a part of the globally acclaimed Harvard Kennedy School’s annual Women in Power Conference. Here, the athlete proudly took the stage as a keynote speaker—another feather in her cap that solidifies her as not only a champion, but a leader to look up to and learn from.

Caster—who is no stranger to reimagining power or building legacies—was more than an apt choice of speaker and lesson sharer under the theme of the Conference: ‘Reimagining Power: Building a New Legacy’.

There, important conversations were had to do with a more inclusive landscape across different silos of influence, including sport.

Flame Bearers described Caster’s talk alongside fellow Olympian, fencer Lauren Scruggs, beautifully, as follows:

“[It was a] powerful fireside chat on resilience, identity, and what it means to lead with purpose, even when the world tells you to sit down. Caster’s story reminded us that breaking records is one thing. Breaking barriers? That’s legacy.”

Seeing a South African lead such important conversations in places where the world listens is its own kind of gold medal for all of us back home. As Caster adds, this experience is a reminder that anything is possible.

In terms of failure, the powerhouse also shared wise words on overcoming them:

“You never let your failures define your destination,” Caster shared—food for thought we can all take with us on the long road to our own dreams.

 

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A post shared by Flame Bearers I Media Co. Stories of Elite Women Athletes (@flamebearers)

Sources: Flame Bearers, Caster Semenya 

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Gold and silver wins from China meet bronze and honours from Tunisia. These young South Africans from across the country have been busy wowing the science world. The kids aren’t just alright, they’re shooting the lights out!

Global (09 April 2025) — Several young South African learners from across the country represented their home as champions recently, wowing the science world in the process.

With major STEM events happening across the globe in recent times, it was in China and Tunisia that South African science projects made people say, ‘These kids are onto something’.

Beijing, China

In China, at the Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition, matrics Adam Gibbon and Christopher Collier-Reed had people thinking about food waste in a whole new way.

The Pinelands High pair came up with a clever project dubbed ‘Flies to the Rescue: Innovating Food Waste Management Using Black Soldier Fly Larvae’. Yes, fly larvae.

In short, their project looked at how the larvae could help organic waste decompose. But the real kicker was that while the waste decomposed, it was also able to leave behind valuable bi-products—creating an eco-positive return on organic waste.

In Beijing, the duo ended up winning the First Prize (or what we’d consider gold in South Africa) at the competition—one that’s notorious for uniting the brightest young minds in the world.

But Adam and Christopher weren’t alone in their Beijing Victory. Cady De Koker, a Grade 11 at Northern Cape High School, also shot the lights out; earning a second-place ‘silver’ for a project that’ll make you wonder what these kids are eating for breakfast (and where we can get some of it too).

Cady’s science project is called “A Mathematician’s Guide to Neuroscience: Classifying and Diagnosing Brain Tumours Using Fractal-Analysis Morphometrics”. Needless to say, the brain-rot bug doesn’t know Cady.

And if that wasn’t enough, Samiya Waza, a matric from Umtata High School, also claimed Second Prize for her project ‘Med—Net: A Comprehensive and Robust Information Management System for Healthcare Facilities.” Future Minister of Health? We certainly see it.

Mahdia, Tunisia

Meanwhile, in Tunisia, St Dominics Newcastle School Grade 12s Hamzah Ismail and Vibhav Ramdas earned bronze and Honourable Award at I-FEST² ( International Festival of Engineering, Science and Technology).

Hamzah bagged the bronze for his project ‘Developing eco-friendly, fire-retardant plastic bricks as an alternative in modern construction’, while Vibhav earned his Honourable Award for the project ‘Using object detection to improve road maintenance’.

All of these young minds are South African, and all have come up with ideas that our country sorely needs across a spectrum of departments.

To this point, we’re not just impressed by the teenagers, we’re inspired and hopeful because of them.

Sources: Various (Linked Above)

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South Africa’s very own music education platform, Ear Academy, recently received a prestigious international accolade for its innovation and impact!

London, United Kingdom (10 February 2025) — Local music education platform Ear Academy recently basked in the spotlight at an international celebration of innovation. Here, the team’s hard work and impact were recognised to the highest degree—winning a Kids Judge Bett Award as selected by the panel of child judges.

Held at Bett UK, the world’s biggest EdTech event, the win means that Ear Academy has been chosen by the highly discerning panel (students aged 7-13) as one of their favourite EdTech solutions in the game, beating out hundreds of contenders.

As we all know, no one’s opinion is more important than that of those who will actively use the service offered. And no one is more honest than a child.

A means to more efficient and exciting music education, Ear Academy has helped the way music is learnt and taught. With creative teaching tools, built-in bite-sized teacher training courses, curriculum-aligned lessons and play-based methods to boast, the team have ensured that tech and music have harmonised to benefit young musicians-in-the-making in the best way.

“This recognition by Kids Judge Bett is an incredible honour,” reflected Co-founder Rus Nerwich.

“It validates our mission to improve the quality of music education by empowering teachers and bringing the joy of music back to the classroom. Being chosen by children—the very audience we serve—makes this award especially meaningful.”

For the team, the win speaks to the future and the present. In this present, there are so many talented South African innovators who made the victory possible, and many of whom will continue to contribute positively to generations of learning music to come.

Sources: Supplied

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South Africa’s Wouter Kellerman has added another Grammy to his tally after wowing the Recording Academy with the album, ‘Triveni’! This marks the artist’s third Grammy victory.

Los Angeles, USA (04 February 2025) — Renowned South African musician Wouter Kellerman has added another Grammy award to his tally thanks to his win at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards hosted last weekend!

The golden moment at the 67th Grammys saw the Johannesburg-born Kellerman nab the Grammy in the category ‘Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album’ for the album ‘Triveni’. The album is credited to Kellerman, Chandrika Krishamoorthy Tandon and Eru Matsumoto who all relished in their Grammy moment together.

 

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A post shared by Wouter Kellerman (@wouterkellerman)

‘Triveni’ aimed to unite musicians from diverse backgrounds, which was achieved with great success. Described as a “healing musical experience”, the album aspired to build cultural bridges while offering a therapeutic and peaceful sound journey.

Aptly, in his acceptance speech, Kellerman shared:

“This is testament to the fact that music has the power to unite and to heal.”

Sporting local excellence, Kellerman received his award dressed in Gert-Johan Coetzee.

To the pride of South Africa, this marks Kellerman’s third Grammy victory following his win at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards alongside Nomcebo Zikode and Zakes Batwini for the proudly South African song ‘Bayethe’ as well as at the 57th Grammys for his album ‘Winds Of Samsara’.

In addition to these exceptional moments, Kellerman also boasts five Grammy nominations and multiple SAMA wins.

An acclaimed flautist, composer and producer, Kellerman’s recent Grammy offer yet another dose of inspiration for artists with a dream back home.

Sources: Various (Linked Above) 

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