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Thokozani Simelane

Professor of Practice, Human Sciences Research Council
Professor of practice, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University of Johannesburg and principal investigator, National Food and Nutrition Security Survey, Human Sciences Research Council. Established the science and technology programme from scratch at the Africa Institute of South Africa. Previously worked as departmental manager, environmental systems certification at the South African Bureau of Standards, where he was responsible for ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and ISO 90001 system certification. Served as a member of the standing advisory committee on intellectual property rights of South Africa (2002-2017). The committee advises the minister of trade and industry on issues relating to South Africa’s international positions on intellectual property. It also recommends amendments to intellectual property laws and policies of South Africa. For research and publications, have served as a member of the research and publications committee of AISA (2009-2014). Also served as a member of research ethics committee of Human Sciences Research Council (2014-2017). Served as a council member of the South African chapter of System Dynamics Society (2012-2018). Have published in a number of international scientific journals and edited (some co-edited) 19 books (books and monographs). Have so far produced a total of 84 publications.

South Africa’s malnutrition crisis: why a cheaper basket of healthy food is the answer

Mar 02, 2025 16:38 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

The death in early February of a 9-year-old South African boy, Alti Willard, who drank poison while scavenging for food in rubbish bins with his father, is a tragic reflection of the persistent food insecurity crisis in...

Almost 50% of adult South Africans are overweight or obese. Poverty and poor nutrition are largely to blame

Mar 18, 2024 09:00 am UTC| Insights & Views Life

Malnutrition, in all its forms, includes undernutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight), inadequate vitamins or minerals, overweight and obesity. South Africa has undergone a nutritional transition over the past 30...

Economy

Indian Rupee Strengthens Sharply After U.S.-India Trade Deal Announcement

The Indian rupee strengthened sharply during morning trade on Tuesday after New Delhi and Washington announced a long-awaited U.S.-India trade deal, sparking optimism across currency and financial markets. The development...

India–US Trade Pact 2026: A New Highway to a USD 500 Billion Partnership

Announced on February 1, 2026, the new India-US trade pact is being touted as a significant advancement for bilateral economic relations. The pact aims to speed trade flows and drive total trade toward the USD 500 billion...

Gold, Silver, and Platinum Rally as Precious Metals Recover from Sharp Selloff

Gold prices climbed in early Asian trading on Tuesday, with silver and platinum also posting solid gains, as precious metal markets steadied after suffering two days of sharp selloffs. The rebound offered some relief to...

South Korea Inflation Hits Five-Month Low as CPI Reaches Central Bank Target

South Korean consumer inflation eased to a five-month low in January, reaching the Bank of Koreas official target and reinforcing signs that price pressures in the country are gradually stabilizing. According to data...

S&P 500 Rises as AI Stocks and Small Caps Rally on Strong Earnings Outlook

U.S. stock markets closed higher on Monday, led by gains in artificial intelligence-related stocks and a strong rally in small-cap companies, as investor confidence improved on solid earnings expectations and encouraging...

Politics

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration Move to End TPS for Haitian Immigrants

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from revoking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 350,000 Haitian immigrants living in the United States, preventing their potential deportation to a...

Trump Spoke With FBI Agents After Georgia Election Office Search, Report Says

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke directly with FBI agents one day after they searched an election office in Fulton County, Georgia, according to a report published by the New York Times on Monday. The report cited three...

Trump Calls for “Nationalizing” Voting, Drawing Backlash Over Election Authority

President Donald Trump sparked controversy after saying Republicans should nationalize and take over voting in at least 15 unspecified locations, repeating his long-standing and false claims that U.S. elections are plagued...

Japan Finance Minister Defends PM Takaichi’s Remarks on Weak Yen Benefits

Japans Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama on Tuesday defended Prime Minister Sanae Takaichis recent comments emphasizing the potential benefits of a weaker yen, saying the remarks were grounded in standard economic theory...

Trump Announces U.S.–India Trade Deal Cutting Tariffs, Boosting Markets and Energy Ties

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a major U.S.India trade deal on Monday that significantly reduces U.S. tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from a previous combined rate of 50%. The agreement, revealed after a phone call...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Acquires xAI in Historic Deal Uniting Space and Artificial Intelligence

Elon Musk announced on Monday that SpaceX has acquired his artificial intelligence startup xAI in a landmark deal that brings together his ambitions in space exploration and advanced AI technology. The acquisition combines...

Google Cloud and Liberty Global Forge Strategic AI Partnership to Transform European Telecom Services

Google Cloud, one of Alphabets fastest-growing divisions, has entered into a five-year strategic partnership with Liberty Global aimed at accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence and cloud technologies across...

Palantir Stock Jumps After Strong Q4 Earnings Beat and Upbeat 2026 Revenue Forecast

Palantir Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: PLTR) delivered a strong fourth-quarter earnings report, beating Wall Street expectations on both revenue and profit while issuing a significantly stronger-than-expected outlook for 2026....

Sam Altman Reaffirms OpenAI’s Long-Term Commitment to NVIDIA Amid Chip Report

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has publicly reaffirmed the artificial intelligence companys strong relationship with NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA), pushing back against recent reports suggesting dissatisfaction with the...

SoftBank and Intel Partner to Develop Next-Generation Memory Chips for AI Data Centers

SoftBank Corp (TYO:9434) has announced a strategic collaboration between its subsidiary Saimemory and Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) to develop a new class of advanced memory chip technology aimed at powering the next...