“Against the background of difficult global and domestic economic circumstances Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana generally delivered a realistic and credible fiscal message in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) today.”

In commenting on the MTBPS, Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the Business School of the North-West University (NWU), says South Africa’s public finances have now been put on a much more sustainable basis.

He points out that both expenditure and revenue are good-news stories that help to build economic resilience.

Like load-shedding, fuel price hikes in South Africa are so frequent that we have become desensitised to them. When a hike is announced, we hear of it and go about our daily lives. However, increases in fuel prices have an impact on more than just the ultimate delivery costs of products. Transport plays a crucial role in the supply chain. The concept of supply chain management refers to the comprehensive process of sourcing and transforming raw materials into a usable final product for retail sale.

“Covid post-mortem – Can we fix or train our way out of the chaos”, was the theme of this year’s Transport Symposium that was hosted by the North-West University (NWU) and the Transport Education Training Authority (TETA) from 12 to 13 October 2022.

The symposium focused on major post-Covid pandemic issues facing the sector, from industry’s as well as an academic (research) perspective.

By Ontiretse Motingwa

Dineo Nakedi, a North-West University (NWU) transport economics honours graduate, conducted research on the need to establish efficient public transportation in non-metropolitan areas.

The title of her study is “Identifying the challenges faced by a commuter train in non-metropolitan areas with specific reference to Mahikeng”.

“It can be argued that the lack of commuter trains in non-metro areas negatively affects the mobility of daily commuters as it denies them access to various economic activities,” says Dineo.

According to Statistics South Africa, the demand for air transport has been increasing for the past decade in South Africa. This is due to an increase in physical activity and major economic development in different cities across the country.

North-West University (NWU) transport economics graduate Amantle Gaokgorwe investigated the determinants that authorities can look at to revive the Mahikeng Airport.

“To effectively and efficiently transport freight from its point of origin to its desired destination across the country and continent, all modes of transport should be utilised,” says Resego Lentlokane, a North-West University (NWU) transport economics graduate in her honours study.

Her study is titled “The Luxembourg rail protocol and potential modal shift of freight from road to rail in South Africa”.

By Ontiretse Motingwa

The School of Accounting Sciences at the North-West University's (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus recently recognised its top achievers during a special ceremony.

The goal of the event – sponsored by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, Maine Incorporated, and RAin Chartered Accountants – was to acknowledge those students who did well during the first semester and to inspire others to do the same during the second half of the year.

Five North-West University (NWU) students from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences recently participated in the virtual Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC) Cybersecurity Hackathon.

A hackathon is a kind of social event for programmers from all around, in which the participants have to solve a complex coding problem such as developing or improving existing software, or pitching a business idea for a particular field.

When we think about tourism, our mind’s eye is filled with images of long safari drives through the African bush, sunbathing on the white sands of pristine beaches and gazing up at architectural feats both foreign and unique. But tourism is a complex industry that is subject to the whims and fancies of an almost unimaginable number of variables.

There is plenty to sift through, to research and to recommend to keep the industry healthy, as it is not only a major job creator, but an integral part of South Africa’s economy as an income generator. 

North-West University (NWU) alumnus Dr Bobby Moroe has been appointed Consul-General of South Africa in Lagos, Nigeria. Dr Moroe assumed this new assignment on 5 September 2022, and will be responsible for nine of the 36 states in Nigeria.

As head of the South African consulate in Lagos, he will be responsible for promoting trade and investment opportunities for South African businesses in Nigeria, and to encourage the same for Nigerian companies in South Africa.