Parasites. Just uttering the word may send shivers down the spine, conjuring up images of rapidly proliferating organisms devouring or destroying other species. A celebrated researcher from the North-West University (NWU) hopes to change those perceptions.

Credited with playing a crucial role in global conservation efforts to protect parasites, Prof Nico Smit is from the NWU’s Water Research Group in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. He aims to ensure that some of the parasites found on endangered species do not end up like their hosts – facing extinction.

Bush encroachment is a global challenge, but through the multi-million rand RIBS project, this major contributor to land degradation is being tackled with renewed vigour.

RIBS is an acronym for “Rangeland Improvement through Bush Control and Sustainable Intensification to mitigate Climate Change and improve Livelihoods and Food Security in Southern Africa”.

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Germany, through the Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL 2.0) programme.

With efficient, sustainable solutions needed more than ever to address global energy problems, the North-West University’s (NWU) principal and vice-chancellor, Prof Bismark Tyobeka, continues to distinguish himself as a leading nuclear expert.

Prof Tyobeka has been appointed as a member of the Nuclear Engineering Advisory Council (NEDAC) at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in the USA.

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) unanimously decided on 25 May to increase interest rates by a further 50 basis points (bsp), citing risks to the inflation outlook as still being on the upside. The MPC’s major concerns continue to revolve around the possible second-round effects of higher headline inflation and exchange rate risks.

Expert knowledge is needed to protect and manage water, an essential and scarce natural resource. As a relatively dry country, South Africa faces crucial challenges that include insufficient water, water quality problems, inadequate infrastructure and inconsistency in access.

The Water Research Commission (WRC) plays an integral role in enabling the country to address these issues. One of the NWU’s own is now stepping up to play a part in this commission’s important work.

Leaf blight in maize poses a threat to food security but, although it has complex causes, it can be effectively managed. This is one of the findings of a group of North-West University (NWU) researchers who have been investigating this plant disease at the university’s Molelwane farm in Mahikeng.

Their research shows that the disease defies many control measures because it is caused by multiple organisms, which in most cases interact to cause the leaf blight disease.

A recent study conducted by a PhD graduate and staff member of the North-West University (NWU) Business School, Dr Lungile Ntsizwane, looked at integrating administrative systems and processes in mergers within South African higher education institutions.

She says higher education institutions go through a complex change management process when merging.

The early diagnosis of inherited metabolic diseases not only helps to prevent patients from having a lifetime of suffering, it also saves lives.

Metabolic diseases have a variety of life-threatening consequences, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The symptoms of some of these diseases are well-known and do not need intense specialised knowledge to identify. There are also the rare, inherited metabolic diseases that are much more difficult to identify. This is where the Centre for Human Metabolomics (CHM) of the North-West University (NWU) comes in.

Contrary to the consensus view expressed by many economists that the repo rate would be raised by only 25 basis points (bsp) on 30 March, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) decided by a 3:2 vote to raise interest rates again by 50 bsp.

In commenting on the decision to increase the repo rate, Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, says the MPC majority view sees the risks to inflation on the upside – shaped by both domestic and global factors.

It is a crisp Thursday morning and the University of the Western Cape is still without the hustle and bustle that is soon to follow. Dr Shernice Soobramoney, director of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Global Engagement Office comes rushing up the steps of the Jakes Gerwel Hall with smile beaming across her face.