What will determine the credibility of the latest Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS)?

According to Prof Raymond Parsons, economist at the North-West University (NWU) Business School, the difficulties and dilemmas facing Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni in the latest MTBPS must be acknowledged, and the credibility of the latest fiscal framework will now largely rest on the extent to which the growth plan and other structural…

Prof Kobus van der Walt elected to board of South African Academy for Science and Arts once more

What does it mean to you to be elected to the board? The board of The South African Academy for Science and Arts (SAASA) consists of a number of outstanding and authoritative academics – all of them heavy-weights who have made their mark internationally.

I see it as ’n major privilege to work with such people.

Actually, I…

TRADE in the “new normal” webinar focuses on Africa

The Trade and Development (TRADE) research entity at the North-West University (NWU) and the TRADE Research Advisory, a spin-off company of the university, hosted the eighth TRADE-Decision Support Model User Group webinar, drawing more than eighty international attendees.

The webinar was hosted on 15 October by Prof Wilma Viviers,…

Understanding consensual non-monogamy (swinging) from a South African perspective

While some people consider it a taboo, swinging - the act of allowing one’s partner to engage in sexual intercourse with other people - has been practised around the globe for decades.

A simple Google search gives thousands of results on the lifestyle, yet relatively little is known about swinging from a South African perspective.…

People solve problems, making anthropology the right place to be

The North-West University (NWU) Anthropology subject group is growing from strength to strength, and aims to make the NWU one of the top universities at which to study this field. 

“Recognising that the complicated problems of our society can only be solved with people, the subject group has embarked on a process of…

Pre-TSD and the Covid-19 conundrum

The impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on our mental health cannot be understated. From a South African perspective, months of a hard lockdown has changed the way we live, the way we work and the very way we operate. Mentally we have not escape unscarred.

A new study by Afriforte and the WorkWell research unit at the North-West…

Project on swearing produces scientific knowledge

“To my mind, the project has progressed exceptionally well. Not only have technology and infrastructure been established for sound research in the years ahead, but we have also gained a large number of registered users.”

These are the words of Prof Gerhard van Huyssteen, professor in Afrikaans and Dutch Linguistics at the North-West…

Breast cancer is forever

The month of October marks breast cancer awareness month – also known as Pinktober. This is an annual campaign to increase awareness of this dreaded and dark disease – ironically, at the time of the year when most trees here are blossoming and beautifully covered in pink. Cancer is often a very lonely and emotional battle to fight, but it…

Economic recovery plan should have said more about implementation and timelines

While there are positive features to the latest economic reconstruction and recovery plan, it needed to say much more about implementation processes and timelines, says North-West University (NWU) Business School economist, Prof Raymond Parsons.

“The fact that the long-awaited economic reconstruction and recovery plan announced on…

Smarketing: Putting your money where your nose is

Marketers and retailers are finding increasingly ingenious ways to lure prospective buyers to their products. And, according to Dr Roland Goldberg, a senior lecturer in marketing at the North-West University (NWU), your wallet is more closely connected to your nose than you might think.

One of his fields of expertise is retail…