Supporting student mental health with empathy and intention

“You don’t have to control your thoughts; you just have to stop letting them control you.” This quote, from American author Dan Millman, has the ring of truth for Dr Khido Ramadie, educational psychologist at the Mahikeng Campus of North-West University (NWU).

She keeps these words in mind as she strives to optimise students’…

Radiation expert wants SA to benefit from his radiological crime scene management training

South Africa’s capacity to deal with incidents involving radioactive materials has received a boost. North-West University (NWU) academic Dr Tebogo Kupi has returned from Austria where he attended a high-level international training course aimed at preparing experts to deliver national workshops on radiological crime scene management.

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Prof Bismark Tyobeka: Starlink should shine in SA’s skies

As Starlink’s vast constellation of satellites traverse the sky in low-Earth orbit, they evoke wonder and awe in those gazing up at the night heavens. Science fiction has become technological reality. Yet, for South Africans, the benefits remain as distant as the stars beyond our solar system.

Here is why. Elon Musk’s satellite internet…

Alumnus Andries van Heerden leads Afrimat in mining and industrial expansion

North-West University (NWU) alumnus Andries van Heerden is the chief executive officer of Afrimat Limited, a JSE-listed company that supplies iron ore, anthracite, phosphate, construction materials and industrial minerals across Southern Africa.

“I started as a first-year mechanical engineering student in Potchefstroom in 1984,” he…

Being fully present with and for a patient restores wholeness

Ideal Healthcare is not only about treating patients but also about being fully present for and with them. This notion was at the heart of an inaugural lecture delivered at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Potchefstroom Campus on 8 August 2025.

Prof Tinda Rabie from the Faculty of Health Sciences presented her lecture titled “Can the…

Innovative poultry feed research offers hope for sustainable farming

High feed costs and declining meat quality are two of the biggest challenges facing the global poultry industry. For many smallholder farmers in South Africa, these issues are even more pressing, as they struggle to balance production costs with the demand for affordable, nutritious meat.

Against this backdrop, Phethile Emmelina Mabuza…

Expert guest editor for first special issue on sustainable food systems in southern Africa

A North-West University (NWU) expert in consumer sciences recently served as guest editor for the first special issue of the South African Journal of Science focusing on sustainable food systems in southern Africa.

Prof Annchen Mielmann says this landmark issue brings together contributions from a wide range of disciplines that deepen…

NWU students step into each other’s shoes for creative learning experience

On 6 August 2025, during a Human Resource Management (HRMA121) class at the Mahikeng Campus of the North-West University, male and female first-year students exchanged professional roles in a creative learning exercise aimed at building empathy, understanding and workplace diversity awareness.

The event, themed “Walking in different…

Dr Petronella Lunda has been elected to lead SOMSA North West

Dr Petronella Lunda, a maternal and neonatal expert from the North-West University (NWU) Faculty of Health Sciences, was elected as president of the Society of Midwives of South Africa (SOMSA) North West. Dr Lunda was honoured with this prestigious position at the 19th SOMSA Congress held at the OR Tambo Premier Hotel in Kempton Park from 13 to…

Third-year law team wins their first-ever mock trials

A dedicated team of third-year law students from the North-West University (NWU), representing the NWU team, won their first-ever annual Juta Mock Trials competition. The NWU team, consisting of members across all three campuses of the NWU, argued for the state in the final round of the competition against the Potchefstroom second-year law team…