“Against the background of difficult global and domestic economic circumstances Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana generally delivered a realistic and credible fiscal message in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) today.”

In commenting on the MTBPS, Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the Business School of the North-West University (NWU), says South Africa’s public finances have now been put on a much more sustainable basis.

He points out that both expenditure and revenue are good-news stories that help to build economic resilience.

They came, they saw and they conquered! They also left our nerves in tatters. On Monday, 10 October, the North-West University (NWU) Eagles stunned defending champions, Kovsies, to advance to the 2022 Varsity Netball finals. 

The Eagles had to muster all their willpower to secure a 64–61 win in Bloemfontein against the same opponents who had beaten them a week before. Coach Elsunet du Plessis would have been worried as the game progressed, with the Eagles only taking the lead for the first time with about ten minutes to go.

The Spelling Checkers for South African Languages, a spelling and hyphenation checker tool for ten of South Africa’s official languages, excluding English, is now available to download for free from the website of the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR).

There is an urgent need to address the problem of inadequate funding for postgraduate studies in South Africa. This was the recurring consensus during the recent North-West University (NWU) donor event held in Sandton, Johannesburg.

On, Wednesday, 28 September 2022, the NWU chancellor Dr Anna Mokgokong and NWU principal and vice- chancellor, Dr Bismark Tyobeka, met with the French ambassador.

The delegation was led by Mr Aurelien Lechevallier, French ambassador and Ms Nelly Hazelbrouck, general secretary  for Cooperation and Cultural Affairs at the French Embassy.

Naledi 2.0, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) solar car won the Structural Design Award presented by Euro Steel during this year’s 2022 Sasol Solar Challenge. 

The challenge took place from 9 to 16 September, covering an estimated distance of 2 500 km from Johannesburg to the finish line in Cape Town. 

The statement by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) on 22 September conveyed an understandably hawkish message about the inflation outlook in the economy in the midst of several global and domestic uncertainties.

Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the Business School of the North-West University (NWU), says the majority view was for a 75 basis-point rise in order to progressively re-anchor inflationary expectations. Significantly, two members of the five-person MPC wanted a 100 basis-point hike.

As part of demonstrating our commitment to transform and position the NWU as a unitary institution of superior academic excellence, with a commitment to social justice, the NWU Council has established the NWU Public Artwork Selection Committee (NWU PASC) to embark upon a process to find a new unitary symbol in the form of creative artwork.

The nuclear debate has raged for more than three quarters of a century. Proponents of nuclear power continue to extol its virtues, while its detractors remain steadfast in their belief that its risks outweigh its benefits. Renowned nuclear energy expert and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), Dr Bismark Tyobeka, was recently nominated to serve as South Africa’s representative on the Senior Industry Advisory Panel (SIAP) of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF).

Dr Tyobeka gives his thoughts on what the future holds for nuclear energy.

On Wednesday, 7 September, the North-West University (NWU) recognised two outstanding individuals for their grit, determination and perseverance during the 2022 Comrades Marathon. This took place during an event at which outgoing Council members were honoured for their contribution and services to the NWU.