SA’s lockdown exit strategy to level 2 is good news for the country

The widely expected and welcome decision announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa to move South Africa’s lockdown down to Level 2 is good news for the country, says NWU Business School economist Prof Raymond Parsons.

According to him, the prolonged lockdown since March has had a devastating economic impact on incomes and livelihoods.…

The cut in interest rates is good, but more would have been better

The further 25 basis-point cut in interest rates is positive, but 50 basis points would have been better. This is the view of Prof Raymond Parsons, well-known economist and academic from the NWU Business School.

“The decision by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to cut interest rates by another 25 basis points is broadly in line…

A long road ahead, but possible if crucial decisions are made

The Business School of the North-West University (NWU) has embarked on a brand-new online initiative in which current affairs in the South African sphere will be discussed via Zoom by a panel of experts during Covid-19, returning to round-table discussions when allowed. Journalists from various media will be invited to join the online panel…

"The true state of our nation"

“Heavenly vengeance pursues a crime slowly, but nevertheless catches up with it in the end. In matters of debt the penalty is not halting; it pursues the culprit at a gallop.” (Anon)

According to Prof Raymond Parsons, economist at the Business School of the North-West University (NWU), the Supplementary Budget presented by the…

Faculty assists family after devastating fire

The staff at the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the North-West University (NWU) have opened their hearts to a family who lost nearly all their possessions in a devastating house fire in Mahikeng.

The fire, which occurred during the last week of May, gutted almost the entire RDP house in Danville, Ward 17, and left a single…

Exports and the coronavirus: South Africa in a catch-22 situation

The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted all components of the economy – all sectors in terms of demand and supply, employment, investment, growth, confidence and exports.

An economist from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the North-West University (NWU) says exports are critical for economic growth and are recognised as…

The new (unfamiliar) world of work

The world of work after the Covid-19 pandemic will differ from the one we are used to. This is the opinion of Prof Bennie Linde, a professor in labour relations at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) School for Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.

Prof Linde predicts…

Further cut in interest rates is another valuable mitigating step

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) cut the repo rate by another 50 basis points on 21 May. Prof Raymond Parsons, well-known economist and academic from the NWU Business School, says this underscores the South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB) resolve to provide the necessary monetary support in light of the economic impact of the prolonged…

Covid-19, the virus of uncertainty: the dominoes are falling one by one in the economy

The Covid-19 virus is causing unprecedented uncertainty on a global scale. An economist from the North-West University (NWU) says the impact of the pandemic is expected to be greater than that of the Spanish flu of a century ago.

According to Prof Danie Meyer, a development economist and director of the TRADE research focus area at…

Surviving a pandemic: South Africa economy post Covid-19

The global Covid-19 pandemic has seen unprecedented economic disruptions during the last few months.

According to North-West University (NWU) professor of Economics at the NWU Business School, Prof Ravinder Rena, it will take a very long time for the country’s economy to recover meaningfully after the measures introduced by…