About the Department

Prof Basil Moore, from the Wesleyan University in Middletown, USA, was a part-time lecturer at the Department on a fairly regular basis since 1985, and was appointed as professor extraordinary from January 2004 until the end of 2015.

Since 2002, the Department has commenced appointing honorary professors on three-year terms (economists held in high regard and whom the Department wants to honour and associate with). Opportunities are created where the honorary professors can interact with staff and students. The following economists have been appointed, some for more than one term, with an indication of their employment at the time of appointment: Rudolf Gouws (chief economist of Rand Merchant Bank, since retired), Tito Mboweni (governor of the South African Reserve Bank, since retired), Wiseman Nkuhlu (chairperson of the Development Bank of Southern Africa, since retired), Mario Ramos (director-general of National Treasury and thereafter chief executive officer of Absa Bank), Jac Laubscher (chief economist of Sanlam, since retired), Andrew Donaldson (deputy director-general of National Treasury), Cees Bruggemans (chief economist of First National Bank, since retired), Franco Malerba (professor of Applied Economics, University of Bocconi, Milan), Andreas Freytag (professor of Economics, Friedrich-Schiller Universiät, Jenna), Jan Luiten van Zanden (professor and chairperson of Department of Economic and Social History, University of Utrecht), Kuben Naidoo (deputy governor of the South African Reserve Bank), Leoncé Ndikumana (director of Department of Development Research at the African Development Bank and thereafter professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst), Michael Jordaan (retired chief executive officer of First National Bank), Liberty Mncube (chief economist of the South African Competition Commission) and Francois Groepe (deputy governor of the South African Reserve Bank).

The administrative staff have also contributed to the success of the Department of Economics. Here it is important to mention Mr Archie September's exceptional assistance. Mr September was appointed in February 1970 and retired in 2012. He is a source of many interesting stories concerning the Department. Ina Kruger has been the departmental secretary since 2001, Reta Gelderblom the undergraduate administrator since 2002, Carina Smit the postgraduate administrator since 2006 and Ursula Wanza the departmental assistant since 2013.