Latest news with #Fernie
News24
18-07-2025
- Business
- News24
Meet Thabo Mngomezulu, a former musician converting waste to energy
A former session musician turned clean energy entrepreneur, Thabo Mngomezulu, is transforming his rural community through innovative waste-to-energy solutions. His groundbreaking work has earned him recognition as a News24 Young Mandela for 2025 in the Climate, Literacy and Sustainability category. As CEO and founder of Kasi Gas, Mngomezulu converts organic waste into affordable biogas for cooking and heating while producing nutrient-rich organic fertiliser for local farmers. What began as a personal pivot during the Covid-19 lockdown has evolved into a comprehensive solution that addresses environmental challenges and energy poverty. 'I lost my income because I've been a session musician for a decade,' Mngomezulu told News24. 'So I wanted to lean towards something more sustainable, that would not only serve me, but also serve the communities I come from.' This crisis became a catalyst for transformation. Rather than seeking opportunities elsewhere, Mngomezulu deliberately returned to his roots in Mpumalanga. 'I left my community here in Fernie to go and stay in Johannesburg, but I'm back because I know that I have to be the person who drives the change,' he says. 'So I want to be a pioneer for change.' Mngomezulu's innovative approach addresses multiple interconnected challenges facing his community. In an area without formal waste management services, Kasi Gas diverts organic waste from illegal dumping sites and processes it into biogas. The system's byproduct—quality organic fertiliser—serves small-scale crop farmers and households engaged in subsistence farming. 'Because they've been monocropping (growing a single crop on the same land year after year) for a very long time and using chemical fertilisers, their soil is degraded, but my bio-fertiliser helps to revitalise that soil, while the biogas provides a clean and affordable source of energy for cooking and heating,' Mngomezulu says. The impact extends beyond energy and agriculture. Kasi Gas has become an educational platform that raises awareness about waste as a valuable resource rather than a burden. 'People did not know that waste is a resource you can use to generate income,' he notes. The initiative teaches community members to save plastic and paper waste for sale, creating additional income streams. Mngomezulu's work also introduces sustainable farming practices to a community dependent on chemical inputs. 'We are introducing organic farming to them, which is more sustainable,' he says, describing how the project exposes farmers to different planting methods that work harmoniously with the environment. His comprehensive approach embodies Nelson Mandela's spirit: bringing people together for collective progress while addressing systemic inequalities. 'My hopes for the future are to stimulate economic activity in low-income areas because I have firsthand [experience] growing up in one, and I know the disadvantages that we face, and it's almost as if people do not care about rural communities,' he says. The Mandela connection runs deeper than circumstance. 'When I think of Mandela, I think of freedom and all the odds against him, but he still prevailed. And so for me, that means resilience,' Mngomezulu says. Speaking about his Young Mandela recognition, Mngomezulu sees it as validation of his community-centred approach. His work proves that meaningful change often begins with people willing to return home, roll up their sleeves, and pioneer solutions that serve both people and planet. Through Kasi Gas, Mngomezulu demonstrates that environmental sustainability and economic empowerment are not competing priorities but complementary solutions.
BBC News
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Somerset in Pictures: Artistic rats and sunny beach days
As spring continues to bring sun to the county, people have been enjoying Somerset's beaches this a nurse from Somerset has trained her pet rats to draw miniature paintings and 40,000 tulip bulbs have burst into colour at the Bishop's a look at some of the best pictures taken across our county this week. Cheeky cow: Fernie in Glastonbury captured a cow enjoying the blue skies this week. Spring sunset: Minehead looked a lot like Venice this week, with the sun colouring the sky and sea orange. Artistic rats: A veterinary nurse's pet rats have been providing some "pawsitivity" by creating mini paintings for people around the world. Steph Toogood, from Somerset, has owned rats since 2016 and they have created hundreds of mini masterpieces, as well as other rat related products including jewellery and magnets. Colourful tulips: More than 40,000 tulip bulbs have burst into colour this April at The Bishop's Palace and Gardens in Wells. Back in November, 20,000 new tulip sylvestris bulbs were planted along the ramparts bank. Cricket success: Tom Banton of Somerset made his way off after scoring 344 not out, the highest individual score in Somerset history, following day two of the Rothesay County Championship Division One match between Somerset and Worcestershire at The Cooper Associates County Ground. New kit: Bath Romans wheelchair basketball team received a £24,045 donation from Omaze to cover training, coaching and tournament costs for the next three years.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Volkswagen Put An Experimental W10 Engine In BMW's Best M5
The legend of the Volkswagen Group's rebellious, daring, and absurdist creations pitched and produced under the rule of Ferdinand Porsche's grandson, the late Ferdinand Piëch, continue to enchant and mystify the automotive community. The team at DriveTribe uncovered and drove a perfect example of this daring absurdity in a YouTube video about an E39 BMW M5 that hid quite an oddity under its hood: A one-of-two experimental W10 engine that Piëch ordered to be created. No, my fat fingers didn't accidentally press the wrong key — this 10-cylinder engine was created by connecting two narrow-angle V5 engines in the same way VW did with the Passat's W8 and the Phaeton's W12. Now, why would Volkswagen go and put this experimental engine under the hood of a German competitor? Drivetribe presenter Mike Fernie explains that it was due to Piëch's desire to produce an M5 competitor, but since the Volkswagen Group didn't have a comparable model at the time, Piëch himself signed off on putting his experimental W10 right into an M5. Then, he reportedly used it as his daily driver because he was so impressed by the outcome. Must've been a mighty compelling thing, then. Read more: 2024 Acura TLX Type S Is A Different Kind Of AWD Sport Sedan Now, if you're familiar with the unique wail of a five-cylinder engine, then you are probably desperate to hear what two narrow-angle V5 engines connected at the crank sound like. Unfortunately it doesn't have quite the throaty growl that you may expect, though it does sound interesting. But as Fernie points out, that's kind of the order of the day when it comes to the VW Group's W-oriented engines. Neither the W12 used in an array of Volkswagen Group products, nor the quad-turbocharged W16 used in the Veyron and other Bugattis are particularly sonorous engines. Go on YouTube and type "straight piped W8 Passat" into the search bar, though, and you'll find a few videos showing the ripper of a sound that the W8 produces. Anyway, back to the W10. The owner of the W10 E39 M5 mule tested it out on a dynamometer and found out that it produces 480 horsepower and about 436 pound-feet of torque. Unfortunately I cannot offer any driving impressions from my own experience, but Fernie seems quite smitten with the manual-equipped, W10-powered E39 M5, and I can't blame him. He's experiencing a one-of-one driving experience, as the only other W10 known to exist is mounted to a post in the owner's garage. What a cool experience — I'm only slightly irate with jealousy. Apparently it's for sale, though, if you happen to have a spare $500,000-ish laying around. If you're like me and you don't have a cool half-mil to burn, then we can just watch this video on repeat. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
