KZN’s tourism promise faces its municipal test

Tick-tock, tick-tock. The clock is counting down to the start of KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN’s) summer tourism season. Soon, visitors will be treated to the warm Indian Ocean lapping against the shores of some of the country’s most scenic beaches. Inland, about 200 km of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg escarpment culminates in…

Across faculties and borders: International Teaching Weeks bring global perspectives into classrooms

Academics from across Africa and Europe joined colleagues and students from the North-West University (NWU) for a week of teaching, learning, collaboration and cultural exchange - bringing international perspectives directly into NWU classrooms.

From 14 to 18 September 2026, the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (FEMS) and the…

Student entrepreneurs take their businesses to the next level

For some students, university is the start of a career. For others, it is where they discover that they can create their own careers and even create jobs for others. Eight North-West University (NWU) students recently took their business ideas and ventures to the regional stage of the EDHE Absa Entrepreneurship…

Heritage with a beat: students turn HR lessons into music, culture and creativity

When human resource management (HRM) meets heritage, the classroom becomes a stage, students become performers, and learning gets a beat.

Heritage Day came alive in a uniquely creative way as HRM students transformed their classroom into a vibrant celebration of culture, creativity and…

Expert urges caution over proposed tax expansion to taxis and e-hailing services

Plans to bring more taxi and e-hailing operators into South Africa’s tax net could raise state revenue, but they may also increase transport costs and put pressure on operators and cash-strapped commuters.

This is according to Dr Olebogeng Ambrocius Baikgaki, senior lecturer and…

Bridging trade technology and transformation at SSIRC 2026

More than a hundred researchers, policymakers and academics came together in Mauritius for the 11th Social Sciences International Research Conference (SSIRC), held from 8 to 11 September 2026.

An important message throughout the four-day conference was that the social sciences are no…

Vanderbijlpark Campus plants trees for a greener future

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus commemorated Arbor Day 2026 by planting indigenous trees and reaffirming its commitment to a greener and more sustainable future.

Held under the theme “Leave a legacy – plant a tree”, the programme brought together campus…

Fuel shock reaches far beyond the pumps

Deep pockets will no longer suffice; we now need them to extend all the way down to our knees. The fuel price increases that took effect on Wednesday, 2 September will place further strain on an economy struggling to keep its head above water. Achieving National Treasury’s already modest growth forecast of 1.6% for…

It is time for the South African Blue Crane to spread its wings as a national icon

More than 99% of the world’s Blue Cranes live in South Africa, yet our national bird remains one of the country’s most underused tourism assets.

The Blue Crane is a living part of South Africa’s heritage, yet the species’ ‘Vulnerable’ status shows that national-symbol status does not…

The psychology behind your shopping trolley

South African households are counting every rand, but the retailers competing for their money have a formidable advantage: they understand how people shop, often better than shoppers understand themselves.

From the moment customers collect a trolley, they enter an environment carefully…