The year 2020 will be remembered as one of unprecedented uncertainty, and 2021 looks set to not buck its predecessor’s trend. Prof Raymond Parsons from the Business School at the North-West University (NWU) looks ahead at what the new year will hold for the South African economy and consumers alike. This is the first part of a series of articles.

As the world and South Africa continue to struggle with the seismic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and with renewed surges in Covid-19 cases, social tensions are surging and severe socioeconomic consequences abound.

Dr. Marli Dercksen was recently honoured with a special Woman Inspiration award for her work in metabolic diseases by the Federation  of Afrikaans Cultural Societies (FAK). Lets find out more about this remarkable woman.

Millions of South Africans suffered under the impact of the national lockdown regulations introduced because of the coronavirus pandemic.

NWU designers shine once again in major competitions

Students and graduates of the NWU’s Graphic Design subject group have again dazzled with numerous wins and nominations in the recent international Loerie Awards and national Pendoring Awards.

Students and graduates of the NWU’s Graphic Design subject group have again dazzled with numerous wins and nominations in the recent international Loerie Awards and national Pendoring Awards.

A new study has lifted the veil on some of the mysteries of the Milky Way. It has found that the Earth is moving faster than it used to and is nearly 2 000 light-years closer to the black hole in the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy.

This is according to new data, documented over a period of 15 years, by the Japanese radio astronomy project, VLBI (very long baseline interferometry) Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA.)

A North-West University academic, Prof James Chibueze, is the only researcher from Africa who has made contributions to this specific VERA finding.

Over the past five months there have been numerous stories in the media about victims being harassed, attacked and even murdered by their intimate partners.

Prof Raymond Parsons, economist at the North-West University (NWU) Business School, says the latest decision by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to again leave interest rates unchanged was widely expected, given the economic model on which the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) is operating.

“The election of Joe Biden as United States (US) president-elect could eventually create an opportunity for South Africa to buttress its economic narrative with the US from both a trade and an investment point of view.”

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 reforms are actively implemented and deliver a better economic performance.