Prof Letlhokwa George Mpedi
The University of Johannesburg's key projects build confidence in its ability to drive the agenda of 4IR and AI in South Africa.
Teaching and learning for an inclusive society as UJ launches Neurodiversity Centre
Inclusive education is a tenant of sustainable development and features prominently in multiple Sustainable Development Goals and in our case contributes to SDG 4 which has an emphasis on quality education. The research in the field has been astounding. The mandates of the universities include the need to be socially responsive.
Removing Alien Plants Can Save Water: We Measured How Much
One of the things that contributes to ecosystem degradation in South Africa is invasion by alien plants. This is estimated to cost the nation R6.5 billion annually in damages and the government spends over R400 million annually clearing alien trees. Despite this investment, alien tree invasions continue to increase across the country.
Alien trees threaten biodiversity, increase the risk of more intense and frequent wildfires and also guzzle water. This is an important factor in water scarce regions, like South Africa, that experience droughts.
What’s Driving Hunger In Gauteng, South Africa’s Economic Power House
Food insecurity and hunger continue to be a challenge in South Africa. Food insecure households do not have enough money to buy food and cannot make their own. In addition, the households are either unemployed, receive low income, or have high population sizes. These factors make them particularly vulnerable to economic shocks.
In the Gauteng province, the richest of South Africa’s nine provinces on economic performance, about 35% of the population is meagre food insecure. They have (at the very least) skipped a meal because there was insufficient money for food.