July 2020

Research with relevance!

Welcome to 2020's fourth edition of the North-West University's newsletter, Research@NWU. The aim of the newsletter is to showcase research projects, researchers and related events. This newsletter is one of seven, distributed to academic staff and researchers during the year.

NWU takes on pandemic on many fronts

The disruptive Covid-19 pandemic has not sidetracked the NWU's researchers and academics from using their expertise to the benefit of society.

NWU staff and students have been involved in various pandemic-related projects. These range from involvement in communities to finding workable solutions in the fight against the Coronavirus and the disease it causes, Covid-19.

The new (and unfamiliar) world of work

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 School for Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Prof Linde predicts that the pandemic will also significantly affect future research into labour relations.

NWU academic tackles youth unemployment

As statistics for youth unemployment in South Africa continue to rise, an NWU academic is at the forefront of seeking solutions to the crisis. Dr Celestin Mayombe from the School of Professional Studies in Education recently published a research paper titled: "Needs assessment for vocational skills training for unemployed youth in eThekwini Municipality, South Africa".

How the pandemic is affecting children's health

South African children will miss two or more months of school this year due to the lockdown, and are therefore missing out on school sport, while other physical activities are also limited to a large extent. This inactivity, coupled with eating patterns linked to life under lockdown, could have unwelcome effects on children's health. Children from low-income families could be worst affected.

Breastfeeding is best

It has been proven conclusively that exclusively breastfeeding a baby for the first six months has numerous long-term health benefits for a child. However, a large number of South African women are not doing this.

Chantell Witten, who recently completed her PhD at the NWU's Centre of Excellence for Nutrition (CEN), conducted research that focused on understanding the challenges that prevent women from breastfeeding their infants exclusively.

Please share your comments and input by sending an email to the newsletter editor, willie.duplessis@nwu.ac.za