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Maria Marchetti-Mercer

Professor of Psychology and Assistant Dean of Research: Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand
Prof Maria Marchetti-Mercer is a professor of psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and currently serving as assistant dean of research for the Faculty of Humanities. She served as the head of the School of Human and Community Development at Wits from 2012 to 2016. Prior to that, she was the head of the Psychology Department at the University of Pretoria from 2001 to 2011.
She has been involved in the training of professional psychologists especially with regard to family therapy for nearly 30 years and her doctoral thesis was on the Milan School of family therapy. She has also received advanced post-graduate family therapy training in Italy.
Her current area of research focuses on the impact of migration on South African families and most recently the use of ICTs in African migrant families. Her new co-edited book, “Transnational Families in Africa: Migrants and the Role of Information Communication Technologies” has just been published. She also co-authored a book, “The Italian Diaspora in South Africa: Nostalgia, Identity, and Belonging in the Second and Third Generations" (Routledge) with A. Virga in 2023. She is a C1 NRF-rated researcher and has published widely both nationally and internationally in the field of migration and families, the training of professional psychologists, and family murder.
In 2008 she received an award from the Institute for School-Based Family Counseling and the University of San Francisco Center for Child and Family Development for outstanding international contributions to school-based family counselling presented at Brasenose College, Oxford University. She was awarded the Order of the Star of Italy in 2022 for her professional contributions from the president of Italy.

Zimbabwean migration to South Africa: how technology helps keep families together

Apr 01, 2024 04:38 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Political instability and economic decline in Zimbabwe have accelerated migration to South Africa in the last two decades. Because of the overriding socio-economic focus of the migration, people often fail to understand...

Economy

Singapore Inflation Stays Muted in May as Core CPI Misses Forecasts Ahead of MAS Review

Singapores inflation rate remained subdued in May 2026, with both headline and core consumer price inflation coming in below market expectations, reinforcing expectations that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) may...

South Korea Stocks Tumble as AI-Fueled Rally Faces Profit-Taking Pressure

South Korean stocks suffered a sharp decline on Tuesday, with the benchmark KOSPI plunging nearly 6% as investors rushed to lock in profits after a historic rally driven by artificial intelligence (AI) optimism,...

Asian Stocks Slide as AI Rally Pauses, South Korean Chipmakers Lead Regional Decline

Asian stock markets mostly moved lower on Tuesday as investors locked in profits following a strong artificial intelligence-driven rally that had pushed several regional indexes to record highs. The pullback was led by...

New Zealand Fast-Tracks Gold Mining as Industry Revival Gains Momentum

New Zealand is accelerating the development of major gold mining projects and attracting new mining investment as record-high gold prices breathe life into a sector that has struggled for years. The governments push to...

Yen Near 40-Year Low as USD/JPY Approaches Key 162 Level, Raising Intervention Concerns

The Japanese yen hovered near its weakest level in almost four decades on Tuesday, fueling speculation that Japanese authorities may once again intervene in the foreign exchange market to support the struggling currency....

Politics

Lebanon Pushes Ahead With Israel Talks Despite Iran-U.S. Deal Impact

Lebanon is set to begin a new round of direct negotiations with Israel in Washington on Tuesday, despite growing concerns that recent Iran-U.S. diplomatic developments have weakened Beiruts position. Lebanese officials...

Andy Burnham Emerges as Favorite After Keir Starmer Resigns

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he is stepping down as leader of the Labour Party, paving the way for Andy Burnham to become the next prime minister of the United Kingdom. The move could bring...

Rubio Faces Gulf Skepticism Over U.S.-Iran Peace Deal

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is embarking on a critical diplomatic tour of the Gulf this week as he seeks to reassure key Arab allies about Washingtons newly signed Iran peace agreement. The visit comes amid growing...

Russia-Ukraine War: Fresh Strikes Injure Civilians as Fuel Crisis Worsens in Russia

Six people were injured in overnight Russian air strikes across Ukraine, according to local officials, while Kyiv briefly issued an air raid alert early Tuesday, urging residents to seek shelter. The latest attacks...

DOJ Opens Investigation Into NYC Coffee Shop Over Anti-Goldman Social Media Post

The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into a New York City coffee shop after the business publicly stated it would have refused service to Representative Dan Goldman if employees had recognized him...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Tencent Reviews Marvelous Stake as Gaming Giant Reassesses Global Investment Strategy

Tencent Holdings (HK:0700) is reportedly exploring potential exits from several investments in Japanese game developers, including its stake in Marvelous Inc. (TYO:7844), as the Chinese technology giant reevaluates its...

WiseTech Global Denies Knowledge of Investigation Into Founder Richard White

Australia-based logistics software company WiseTech Global (ASX: WTC) has stated that it is unaware of any investigation involving its Executive Chair and founder, Richard White, following media reports that triggered a...

Baseten Secures $1.5 Billion Funding at $13 Billion Valuation Amid AI Infrastructure Boom

Baseten, a California-based artificial intelligence startup co-founded by Australian entrepreneurs, has raised $1.5 billion in a new funding round, pushing its valuation to $13 billion. The deal highlights the growing wave...

Meta Pauses Employee Activity Tracking Program Over Data Security Concerns

Meta has temporarily suspended an internal employee monitoring program used to train its artificial intelligence models after concerns emerged about potential data security and privacy risks. The program, known as the...

Oracle Cuts 21,000 Jobs as AI Reshapes Workforce and Cloud Expansion Accelerates

Oracle reduced its global workforce by approximately 21,000 employees, or 13%, during fiscal 2026 as the company continued a major restructuring effort while expanding its artificial intelligence and cloud computing...