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.

Hendrik Snyman, a fourth-year industrial engineering student at the North-West University (NWU), emerged as the victor in the recent Operations Research Society of South Africa (ORSSA*) optimisation modeling competition.

The competition, which took place during the tutorial session of this year's 52nd annual ORSSA conference, presented an exciting opportunity for attendees to showcase their optimisation modeling skills. Prof Fanie Terblanche from Elytica presented the competition, and also sponsored the first-place cash prize of R3 500.

North-West University (NWU) academic Prof Leepile Sehularo addressed the contentious issue of marijuana legalisation in South Africa during his inaugural lecture on 20 September 2023.

Under the theme "Legalisation of marijuana: The debate continues," Prof Sehularo provided a thorough examination of the profound implications of the ongoing debate.

There can be no denying the strain placed on South Africa’s education system, even less so the mounting challenges facing the country’s youth, not to mention the teachers entrusted with ensuring their education.

The North-West University’s (NWU's) Unit for Continuing Education partnered with the Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA) to launch a solar technician training programme.

Taking place on the Vanderbijlpark Campus, this four-week programme aims to empower young and unemployed individuals. It equips them with work readiness skills, technical expertise, and hands-on experience regarding installing, maintaining and troubleshooting solar panels.

By Menziwa Msibi

The 2023 Bua! Poetry Competition Slam sparked a surge of creativity across the North-West University (NWU). The Creative Writing subject group in the School of Languages launched its inaugural intercampus Bua! Poetry Slam session across the three campuses earlier this year.

The Bua! Poetry Slam featured three distinct poetry competitions, each one hosted on a different campus. The Potchefstroom event took place on 5 April, followed by the competition in Vanderbijlpark on 3 May, and the Mahikeng competition on 25 August.

The South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) hosted a public lecture on public leadership and governance in contemporary South Africa on 14 September 2023.

This public lecture was also a commemoration of the late Prof Barry Rhulani Hanyane, a lecturer and well-known political analyst at the NWU’s School of Government Studies. He passed away on 11 May 2022.

North-West University (NWU) academic Prof Lesetja Legoabe and student Monique Labuschagne had an impressive showing at the 42nd Academy of Pharmaceutical Science of South Africa (APSSA) Conference.

Prof Legoabe from the Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences received the best publication award for his work titled "Investigation of Quinolone‐Tethered Aminoguanidine as Novel Antibacterial Agents".

Monique, who is affiliated with the NWU’s Preclinical Drug Development Platform, received the best poster award in recognition for her research.

By Menziwa Msibi

North-West University (NWU) experimental duo project Goldfox – featuring southern African instrument player Dr Cara Stacey and cellist Nicola du Toit (cello) – joined forces with jazz guitarist Keen Ahrends in a sound exploration performance.

The North-West University's (NWU’s) School of Nursing recently hosted the quarterly meeting of the Forum for University Nursing Deans of South Africa (FUNDISA).

FUNDISA, a registered non-profit organisation, acts as the national representative for nursing and midwifery undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in higher education across South Africa.

The meeting saw the heads of nursing schools from 21 universities come together to deliberate on various aspects of nursing education.

Addressing challenges in nursing education