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29 year old University of the Western Cape PhD Student, Shireen Mentor, earned the honour of being named one of the world’s top young scientists.

One of 6 SA female scientists selected by the SA Academy of science, Shireen joined more than 500 undergraduates and PhD students from around the world to engage with 30 Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany.

As a result of her research into the disease of addiction within the Cape Flats communities in and around her home suburb and neighbouring areas, Shireen was awarded a Fullbright Scholarship and will be heading off soon to the University of Missouri for nine months.

“My original research was situated squarely within the context of substance abuse. My neighbourhood, like many others in the greater Cape Town, experiences high levels of substance abuse, in particular methamphetamine – and this inspired me to look at the science behind it.

“In my honours year I investigated the effects of methamphetamine on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, since the mechanism may be linked to the integrity of the BBB, which regulates the movement of ions, pathogens, and an array of harmful substances across brain capillaries, protecting the cognitive integrity of the central nervous system.

“UWC has been my stepping stone in many respects. I’m looking forward to learning more about how my research may one day be able to make a meaningful contribution to treating addiction.”

Shireen has already been published in leading scientific journals and was the first recipient of the Wyndham Prize from the Physiology Society of Southern Africa in 2014

Source: News 24, UWC, Goodthingsguy.com

Job site CareerJunction has published its latest jobs index (CJI), These findings are based on comprehensive data gathered from the Career Junction website – where around 3,000 of the country’s top Recruiters (both agencies and corporate companies) advertise their positions to millions of registered job seekers.

The architecture & engineering, building &,construction, business & management sectors experienced a notable uptake in hiring activity. Trending jobs in South Africa include : business development, team leader & supervisor, financial/project accounting. The top employment sectors were architecture & engineering, IT
and business & management.

Trending jobs

Trending jobs provide an indication of  positions that have become more popular in the online job market and have seen a recent spike in demand. Here are December’s2019’s Hot Jobs!

Business Development

Average salary offerings for intermediate level position:

• GP – R32,571 to R41,246 p.m.
• WC – R27,190 to R33,381 p.m.
• KZN – R31,698 to R42,976 p.m.

Team Leader & Supervisor

Average salary offerings for an intermediate level position:

• GP – R27,665 to R33,817 p.m.
• WC – R25,475 to R28,036 p.m
• KZN – R21,071 to R27,385 p.m.

Financial / Project Accounting

Average salary offerings for an intermediate level position:

• GP – R32,856 to R41,163 p.m.
• WC – R29,106 to R34,444 p.m.
• KZN – R30,476 to R39,463 p.m.

Our latest research also shows that the following occupational fields are currently the most sought-after skill sets in the job market.

• Software development skills remained the most in demand skill set during 2019.
• Middle / department managers remain high in demand, particularly finance managers.
• Despite a drop in vacancies towards the end of the year, sales representatives are in high demand.

Source: www.careerjunction.co.za

Neo Dongwana has been appointed the first female chairman of Barloworld. Photo: SuppliedJOHANNESBURG – Long-serving Barloworld board member Neo Dongwana has been appointed as Barloworld’s chairperson following her endorsement by shareholders at the annual general meeting – the first woman to chair the board in the company’s 118 years of existence.

Outgoing chairperson of 12 years, advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza SC, said yesterday: “It has been an honour and privilege to have been a member of the Barloworld board for just over 20 years and chairperson for 12. During this time, I have seen the group weather many changes and challenging macro-economic dynamics.”

Dongwana has served on the Barloworld board since May 2012. After qualifying as a CA, Dongwana worked as an equity analyst at Gensec Asset Management. She currently serves as a non-executive director of Mpact and Nedbank. Prior to these appointments, she was an audit partner at Deloitte for almost 10 years.

Dongwana is also a member of the Financial Sector Conduct Authority Tribunal and a member of the African Women Chartered Accountants.

“I am honoured to be appointed the chairperson of the board of Barloworld, a company I’ve been proud to serve for more than eight years.”

Meanwhile, Barloworld said yesterday that group revenue for the three months to December 31 was lower than the prior year due to continued weak economic and trading conditions. Global concern over the corona virus outbreak was weighing on general sentiment, the group said in a trading statement.

Operating profit before black economic empowerment charges was lower, while the steady performance of the equipment divisions contributed positively to performance. The adoption of new accounting standards positively impacted the operating performance, but a higher interest charge resulted in a “net adverse impact on attributable income in line with our expectations,” the group said.

Currency movements also negatively impacted the fair value adjustments on financial instruments.

Overall sales were down due to lower machine sales in the rest of Africa, particularly in Mozambique, where the 2019 performance was bolstered by the delivery of the balance of a machine package deal. Aftermarket revenue ended higher.

Operating profit margins improved from last year driven by increased parts activity and cost containment. The firm order book remained strong. Barloworld’s joint venture in the Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of Congo was down on the prior year, impacted by reduced mining activity and unfavourable cobalt prices.

Equipment Russia’s first quarter revenues were in line with the prior year, while operating profit showed some improvement. This was driven mainly by strong mining sales. Automotive trading was down on the prior year. Avis Fleet’s operating performance was down against the prior year.

In logistics, non-renewal of contracts and increased fleet costs impacted results. Turnaround initiatives continued. The sale of the Middle East operation was close to conclusion, while the Smartmatta sale progressed.

Barloworld’s share price closed 0.22percent lower at R99.76 on the JSE yesterday.

BUSINESS REPORT