• Researchers have created a comprehensive list of indigenous names for frogs and reptiles in order to promote inclusive conservation

• People are far more likely to protect what they can name

• South Africa’s indigenous languages have long been marginalised in science

• The inclusion of indigenous names in biodiversity literature is not only good science, but also democratic

"My greatest hope is that my contributions create ripple effects – opening doors for others, laying foundations for future breakthroughs, and helping shape a more just and resilient world for future generations."

The 1% rise in the unemployment level in the first quarter of 2025 raises another red flag about South Africa’s weak growth performance.

Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, says with the gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecasts for 2025 having been progressively reduced by various institutions and economists to about 1,5% and below, it is not unexpected that this should now be reflected in higher unemployment levels.

The bad news from the latest assessment by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of the impact of trade wars and policy uncertainty on the world economy is not unexpected. It nonetheless highlights the extent of the economic damage anticipated by recent unbridled United States of America (US) protectionism and its wider consequences.

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) principal and vice-chancellor, Prof Bismark Tyobeka, has been reappointed as a member of the South African Council for the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction for a period of five years from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2030.

This announcement was made by Mr Mpho Parks Tau, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, on 31 March 2025.

There is a small brick building on Watauga Club Drive here in Raleigh, North Carolina. There is something different about it, something that distinguishes it from the other academic structures on the campus of the North Carolina State University (NCSU). It is old, very old. Primrose Hall was originally opened in 1896 and now houses the Office of Global Engagement.

Uncertainty springs eternal in the South African political landscape, or so it would seem. The Government of National Unity (GNU) has yet to find its feet, and cohesion has not been one of its hallmarks.

According to Professor Kedibone Phago, Director of the School for Government Studies at the North-West University (NWU), there is much to be done if the country is to be defined by its successes rather than its failures.

The state of SOEs: A broken backbone

South Africa is at a breaking point. The political landscape is shifting, economic pressures are mounting, and trust in government is waning. Dr Sysman Motloung, a political analyst and academic at North-West University (NWU), has spent years studying the nation’s fractures: how power is won, wielded, and too often squandered. His research spans electoral behaviour, constitutionalism, and the politics of water, an issue he argues is central to the country’s long-term stability.

The fourth quarter (4Q) gross domestic product (GDP) growth figures that were released on 4 March are positive, but the mild recovery in the GDP in the 4Q of 2024 again confirms that the Government of National Unity (GNU) is right to have set much higher inclusive growth and stronger job creation as South Africa’s key overarching economic priorities.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s wide-ranging State of the Nation Address (SONA) agenda that confirms the tangible commitment of the Government of National Unity (GNU) to faster and higher job-rich growth is positive.

In commenting on the SONA, which was delivered on 7 February, Prof Raymond Parsons, economist of the NWU Business School, says the South African economy is indeed eventually capable of even much higher economic growth than 3% if the right choices are made.