Academic

Another academic announced as a M&G 200 Young South African

The North-West University (NWU) boasts another winner of the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans for 2024.  Dr Pieter Odendaal, a senior lecturer in the subject group Creative Writing, was announced a winner in the Arts and Entertainment category.

He joins Dr Monray Williams, a senior lecturer in the subject group Biochemistry, who was announced a winner in the Science, Technology and Innovation category.

 Dr Odendaal views this recognition as an affirmation of his contributions to the arts and the significance of spoken word poetry in South Africa.

Submitted on Thu, 07/11/2024 - 08:33

A tourism “wish list” for Minister Patrica de Lille

Experts advocate strategies that will make travel more affordable for South Africans facing increased living costs.

Security measures need to be enhanced by increasing visible policing and security personnel at key tourist spots.

Tax incentives for businesses that invest in tourism infrastructure and services should also be introduced, especially in underdeveloped regions.

Submitted on Thu, 07/04/2024 - 11:28

NWU academic’s visit to Romanian university highlights the power of academic exchange

Prof Fazel Freeks, an esteemed associate professor and coordinator of community engagement at the Faculty of Theology of the North-West University (NWU), embarked on an important visit to Ovidius University of Constanta in Romania for 14 days.

This visit highlighted the NWU’s core pillars: teaching and learning, research, and community engagement, making it a productive and inspiring journey.

Submitted on Wed, 07/03/2024 - 11:49

The NWU Business School is taking a stand against corruption

The facts are irrefutable: South Africa is a country rife with corruption that is undermining our democratically elected institutions and hampering our economic growth. Corruption is not a disease in this country, it is a pandemic. But, for every disease there is a possible cure and pandemics can be curtailed. The North-West University (NWU) Business School, through its Unit for Corruption and Integrity Studies (UCIS), is endeavouring to inject some sense where sensibility has been lost.

Submitted on Wed, 06/26/2024 - 16:43

Transformative workshop examines energy resilience and sustainability within BRICS+ nations

Prof Kedibone Phago, director of the School of Government Studies at the North-West University (NWU), recently had the opportunity to attend a landmark workshop with the BRICS Research Community of Practice.

Hosted by the Pandit Deendayal Energy University in Gujarat, India, the event drew scholars from BRICS and BRICS+ nations, including South Africa, India, Russia, Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia.

The workshop, themed “Energy resilience and sustainability in BRICS+ nations – a policy analysis perspective”, provided a rich tapestry of discussions and presentations.

Submitted on Mon, 06/24/2024 - 14:54

SADiLaR’s strategic vision presented to CLARIN Management

Stakeholder engagement is a crucial part of the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR)'s strategic mission. With the adoption of a new five-year strategy plan, the infrastructure is dedicated to promoting its mandate and establishing a local and global presence to attract potential partners in the domains of natural language processing and digital humanities.

Submitted on Fri, 06/14/2024 - 12:13

Toxic fungi and mycotoxins threaten Africa's food security

Africa is facing a challenge in ensuring food security due to contamination of agricultural products by toxic fungi and their byproducts, mycotoxins, amid climate change.

This is according to Prof Mulunda Mwanza, who delivered his inaugural lecture at the North-West University (NWU) on 6 June 2024.

"Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by fungi such as Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium, which infect staple crops including maize, peanuts, wheat, rice and various tree nuts,” he explained.

Submitted on Fri, 06/07/2024 - 12:26