There is still much “unfinished business” on the national agenda, including a more coherent overall economic plan for much higher job-rich inclusive growth.

In commenting on the 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA), Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, points out that, as expected, prior to the 2024 elections the SONA was inevitably largely a party-political statement and also took stock of the government’s achievements over the decades.

A lack of awareness of our wetlands can have catastrophic consequences for South Africa’s biodiversity. Wetlands play a critical role in biodiversity conservation, water management and community livelihoods, but extensive agricultural expansion, urban development and industrial activities mean that these vital ecosystems are increasingly under threat.

According to Prof Wynand Malherbe from the Water Research Group at the North-West University (NWU), urgent interventions are required to stem this destructive tide.

Research into radiation technology is crucial for advancing industrial applications, enhancing safety, improving efficiency and enabling new technological innovations and solutions, especially in a country such as South Africa.

• It is peak export season for the fruit industry and there is still a backlog of exports.
• The impact of the logistics crises caused by Transnet and the ports are having far-reaching negative consequences.
• Export industries are pleading for a chance to help, but government is unwilling to get out of the way.

Administrative chaos and shipping queues that last for days.

Prof Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), has been invited by the international journal, Progress in Nuclear Energy, to be part of the journal’s editorial board.

Established in 1977, Progress in Nuclear Energy is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering all aspects of nuclear science and engineering.

It is a dance of swift feet and balls travelling in soaring arcs. It is a tapestry of teamwork, sewn together by threads of unrelenting attacks and staunch defence. Netball is a sport like no other, and one the North-West University (NWU) has mastered.

By Vukosi Mathale

As was expected, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) unanimously decided at a fourth consecutive meeting on 25 January (its first meeting of 2024) to again keep interest rates unchanged and therefore higher for longer.

Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, says the tone of the MPC’s statement remained highly cautious, as it did not see the battle against inflation as yet having been permanently won.

In a remarkable display of prowess in the realm of cybersecurity, the B1str0m4th team from the North-West University (NWU) emerged victorious at the seventh annual Cyber Security Challenge (CSC) competition.

Hosted by the South African National Research Network (SANReN), the event took place during the Centre for High-Performance Computing (CHPC) National Meeting in December 2023.

Southern African society continues to face a multitude of challenges. High levels of poverty and unemployment, inadequate infrastructure and electricity supply, crime and rising levels of corruption, and the various legacies of colonialism and apartheid all add to the toxic mix threatening lives and livelihoods.

To counter this, the southern African region depends on well-functioning and just legal systems to find socially just responses to these obstacles.