Experts

This is why Cape Town is ruling the tourism roost

  • Ensuring tourists feel safe – and are safe – plays an integral role in ensuring Cape Town and the Western Cape’s success as a tourist destination.
  • Other cities and regions would be wise to follow Cape Town and the Western Cape’s tourism blueprint.
  • Local governments and tourism authorities should work with the private sector as a thriving tourism sector not only creates jobs, but has numerous nature conservation advantages.

Safety, proactive cooperation between various role players, accessibility and, again, safety.

Submitted on Thu, 09/28/2023 - 14:05

Engineers on track to take local innovations to Cybathlon in Switzerland

Zürich 2024, here we come, complete with a state-of-the-art prosthetic leg and wheelchair.

Headed by the formidable North-West University (NWU) team of Prof André Grobler and Ian Thomson from the Faculty of Engineering and Dr Mark Kramer from Health Sciences, the innovators are preparing to take the fruits of their research and designs in digital health to the international stage.

They will be competing at the 2024 Cybathlon competition* in Switzerland. This competition, in the form of a gruelling race, will take place in Kloten near Zürich in October next year.

Submitted on Thu, 09/28/2023 - 11:38

Meet our researchers

The faculties at the North-West University (NWU) are doing exciting work on the research front.

Prof Moses Retselisitsoe Phooko is the director of Professional Development and Community Engagement in the Faculty of Law. His research is on the Southern African Development Community (SADC). He explains more about what his research entails.

Submitted on Thu, 09/28/2023 - 11:27

Africa’s stomach is empty and the hunger is growing

The continent is ravaged by a host of factors inhibiting food security and is trapped in what a recent report by the World Bank calls “the perfect storm”. Its consequences are disastrous. The Covid-19 pandemic was followed by the war in the Ukraine, which has led to severe food and fertiliser shortages. Now, Africa is in the midst of a tempest of increased debt and inflation, as well as the effects of climate change. The World Bank states that at least one in five Africans goes to bed hungry, and that about 140 million people in Africa are in a food insecurity stranglehold.

Submitted on Mon, 09/18/2023 - 11:49

Scarce skill puts NWU taxonomist at forefront of describing parasites

“What is in a name?” William Shakespeare wanted to know.  A young researcher from the North-West University (NWU) knows exactly how important a name is. She is currently believed to be the youngest gnathiid taxonomist in the world, at the forefront of describing these parasites and identifying their names – or the lack thereof.

Dr Anja Erasmus thrives on recording the tiny sea species and listing important information used to identify them. She is one of only a few active gnathiid taxonomists in the world ― the others being in the Philippines, Japan, Australia and Europe.

Submitted on Fri, 09/01/2023 - 12:06

Home-grown vaccine demonstrates 100% protection against tuberculosis

In an intriguing joint announcement, the Walter Sisulu and North-West universities unveiled the astounding results of their preclinical trials for a groundbreaking combination vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) and Covid-19. The universities reported an unprecedented 100% protection in vaccinated animals – a significant step forwards in the unrelenting battle against tuberculosis, one of the world's most devastating diseases.

Submitted on Thu, 08/24/2023 - 21:15

Ensuring access to education is our imperative

How do we go about breaking the prevailing cycle of economic disparities and a lack of social cohesion, while promoting active citizenship, innovation and development as well as human capital development? By ensuring access to quality education for as many of our citizens as possible – which is part of the mission of the North-West University (NWU).

Submitted on Thu, 08/24/2023 - 14:47

Qualified nurses are a priority

The lack of qualified nurses is placing a stranglehold on the public health sector in South Africa, but through its commitment to bettering the lives of all South Africans, the North-West University (NWU) is helping to loosen this suffocating grip.

A recent study by the South African Nursing Council (SANC) estimates that there is only one nurse for every 218 patients in the country, with a need for tens of thousands more.

Submitted on Thu, 08/24/2023 - 14:40

Academic shines bright at Oxford innovation boot camp

Prof Rose Hayeshi, associate professor at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) DSI/NWU Preclinical Drug Development Platform has just returned from the United Kingdom after a week-long innovation boot camp at the University of Oxford.

Prof Hayeshi was one of the 10 participants selected to deliver demo pitches, after which her presentation was chosen as one of the top five pitches.

Submitted on Thu, 08/24/2023 - 14:24