• Ensuring tourists feel safe – and are safe – plays an integral role in ensuring Cape Town and the Western Cape’s success as a tourist destination.
• Other cities and regions would be wise to follow Cape Town and the Western Cape’s tourism blueprint.
• Local governments and tourism authorities should work with the private sector as a thriving tourism sector not only creates jobs, but has numerous nature conservation advantages.

Safety, proactive cooperation between various role players, accessibility and, again, safety.

Members of the Ikageng community and representatives of the North-West University (NWU) took part in the Ikageng fun run on the overcast Saturday morning of 23 September.

The primary goal of the event was to bring together diverse communities, including people of all races, genders and those who have special needs, to create a welcoming environment.

Among the participants were Comrades Marathon duo heroes Dr Adele Broodryk and Mr Tete Dijana.

By Larry Ogundeji

The lack of research into indigenous language media has been decried by Prof Abiodun Salawu, the Director of the Indigenous Language Media in Africa (ILMA) research entity at North-West University.

A renowned expert in indigenous language media research, Prof Salawu delivered the keynote address at a colloquium in Sandton, Johannesburg, organised by the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) in conjunction with the United Nations (UN) and the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB).

As was widely expected, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) again decided by a vote of three to two to continue to keep interest rates on hold, following a similar decision at the previous meeting of the MPC on 20 July.

Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU), says this further “hawkish pause” outcome was the right decision by the MPC, taking into account the overall global and domestic factors at present shaping South Africa’s economic environment.

Maricélle Botes, a final-year PhD student at the North-West University`s (NWU’s) Research Unit for Law, Justice and Sustainability, has been honoured with the National Research Foundation’s (NRF’s) Research Excellence Award for Next Generation Researchers in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Law category.

The award, presented at a glittering event, recognised her outstanding academic performance and demonstrated potential for contributing significantly to the national system of innovation.

Vickey de Villiers, a master’s student in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the North-West University (NWU), recently received the 2022 Founder’s Medal by the Economic Society of South Africa for the best master’s research paper submitted at a South African university.

The North-West University (NWU) is showcasing its impactful research projects and programmes during its biennial Research and Innovation Week.

This year’s theme is “Research and innovation for sustainable impact”. The event is taking place from 18 to 22 September.

Research and Innovation Week is organised by the NWU’s Research Support department, in collaboration with faculties. They also use the event to conduct roadshows across campuses, taking research support services to the users.

The IRB Rugby World Cup (RWC) kicks off on Friday, 8 September when the host nation, France, takes on three-time champions New Zealand, as these sides clash in Stade de France, Saint-Denis. As always, the world will be watching. The previous tournament – which South Africa won – was held in Japan in 2019 and was the most-watched rugby event in the history of the game, with more than 857 million people tuning in from around the globe.

The better-than-expected gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 0,6% in the second quarter of 2023 is welcome news, as it has extended its gains for a second consecutive time.

Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, says this demonstrates a noteworthy degree of resilience in the economy. This has mainly been the outcome of more moderate Eskom blackouts in June compared with April and May, together with other mitigating factors that helped to generate better growth figures.

In an intriguing joint announcement, the Walter Sisulu and North-West universities unveiled the astounding results of their preclinical trials for a groundbreaking combination vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) and Covid-19. The universities reported an unprecedented 100% protection in vaccinated animals – a significant step forwards in the unrelenting battle against tuberculosis, one of the world's most devastating diseases.