The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, also known as Wits University, is a leading, internationally-ranked, research-intensive university located in Johannesburg, South Africa, the economic heartland of Africa. Committed to academic and research excellence and social justice, Wits generates high level scarce skills for a globally competitive world, while addressing local social and economic development. At the forefront of a changing society, Wits is a social leader, dedicated to advancing the public good.
Wits is known for its work in deep level mining, science, health sciences, accountancy, law, governance, and the humanities, amongst others. It houses five faculties which comprise 34 schools. Wits offers approximately 3 600 courses to about 32 500 full-time students, of whom about a third are postgraduate and 55% are female. Almost 65% of all doctoral candidates and about half of all enrolments are in the Science, Engineering and Technology fields. Wits has developed about 130 000 graduates in its 93 years of existence. It has a proud record in that about 87% of all publications are in accredited international journals.
Residents in Nairobi’s urban slums are opting for fast food rather than the healthy alternatives, which is increasing their risk of developing diabetes.
President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address didn’t suggest any real urgency or energy.
Rodger Bosch/EPA
With South African local government elections coming up later in 2016, Jacob Zuma and his governing ANC must ensure that citizens still look to them as a party of hope.
South Africa’s strategic direction around health policy has deteriorated to almost nothing.
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In a bid to improve health care in South Africa, President Jacob Zuma has made several promises in the last three years. Some have materialised faster than others.
Environmental activists demand a fair climate change deal outside the United Nations Climate Change conference in South Africa recently.
Reuters/Mike Hutchings
The 2016 State of the Nation Address provides President Zuma with the ideal opportunity to be statesman-like. That would require bold action of his part, something that he is unlikely to do.
A great deal of detail about poverty and inequality in South Africa remains unspoken.
Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko
Some hard-to-hear facts are not included in the World Bank’s new discussion note on poverty and inequality in South Africa.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki is back in the public eye thanks to a series of open letters he’s written since the start of 2016.
Reuters/Phil Moore
Former President Thabo Mbeki’s critique of South African historiography, and his concomitant attempt to correct this body of work, has set off a significant public discussion.
When elephants venture into human settlements, they cause significant damage to crops and property.
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Elephant numbers are increasing in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Their search for food is leading them into conflict with farmers living adjacent to game parks. Bees could prove to be the answer to the problem.
Evidence is mounting to suggest that William Shakespeare drew at least some of his inspiration from cannabis.
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
South Africa’s government should urgently announce a moratorium on civil service employment growth. The country has reached its upper limit in the number of civil servants that can be sustained.
Students demand free access for all at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
Mark Wessels/Reuters
Many people dismiss the idea of free, quality public university education out of hand. But there are many ways to make it happen - and it all ties back to the idea of education as a public good.
A panoramic view of the interior of the Blombos Cave, which holds fascinating insights into human evolution.
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The discovery of the world’s oldest jewellery at the Blombos Cave in South Africa has resulted in a paradigm shift in our understanding of human evolution.
A child collects clean water in Delmas, east of Johannesburg, an area vulnerable to outbreaks of the deadly typhoid virus.
Reuters/Mujahid Safodien
The #FeesMustFall and #ZumaMustFall campaigns come from the same place. The rage has its roots in opposition to Zuma’s surrender of national sovereignty through globalising South African capitalism.
The rand’s current weakness can be attributed to a myriad of structural problems facing South Africa’s economy.
Reuters
Like any commodity, the value of the rand is determined by the market forces of supply and demand. Its weakening is also affected by a myriad of structural problems facing the South African economy.
South Africa’s current economic situation is reminiscent of events in 1985 when the economy nearly collapsed. This article, first published last year, looks at the similarities.
Nelson Mandela with his predecessor FW de Klerk. Tough questions are being raised about the compromises Mandela made for South Africa’s transition to democracy.
Reuters/Peter Andrews
South Africa’s transition into democracy involved compromises that left white privilege intact and black poverty undiminished. Here are a dozen of Mandela’s economic deals that need to be undone.