What should South Africa be doing to tackle its long-standing socio-economic problems and build a more resilient future? This was the theme of a virtual think tank via Zoom that was convened by the North-West University (NWU) Business School on 20 August.

While there is no way to tell exactly what the economic damage from the global Covid-19 pandemic will be, there is widespread agreement among economists that it will have severe negative impacts on the global economy.

The widely expected and welcome decision announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa to move South Africa’s lockdown down to Level 2 is good news for the country, says NWU Business School economist Prof Raymond Parsons.

The further 25 basis-point cut in interest rates is positive, but 50 basis points would have been better. This is the view of Prof Raymond Parsons, well-known economist and academic from the NWU Business School.

The Business School of the North-West University (NWU) has embarked on a brand-new online initiative in which current affairs in the South African sphere will be discussed via Zoom by a panel of experts during Covid-19, returning to round-table discussions when allowed. Journalists from various media will be invited to join the online panel discussion in which real-time opinions from experts in various fields can be accessed.

“Heavenly vengeance pursues a crime slowly, but nevertheless catches up with it in the end. In matters of debt the penalty is not halting; it pursues the culprit at a gallop.” (Anon)

The staff at the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the North-West University (NWU) have opened their hearts to a family who lost nearly all their possessions in a devastating house fire in Mahikeng.

The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted all components of the economy – all sectors in terms of demand and supply, employment, investment, growth, confidence and exports.

The world of work after the Covid-19 pandemic will differ from the one we are used to. This is the opinion of Prof Bennie Linde, a professor in labour relations at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) School for Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences.

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) cut the repo rate by another 50 basis points on 21 May. Prof Raymond Parsons, well-known economist and academic from the NWU Business School, says this underscores the South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB) resolve to provide the necessary monetary support in light of the economic impact of the prolonged Covid-19 lockdown.