Academic News

Musa is one of Africa’s youngest female PhD graduates

The North-West University (NWU) has produced one of Africa’s youngest female PhD graduates. Musawenkosi “Musa” Saurombe received her PhD in Industrial Psychology at the university`s campus in Mahikeng on 25 April 2017.

At 23, she is one of the youngest female students in Africa to obtain a PhD.

Musa’s thesis focused on “The…

NWU recognises outstanding lecturers

Good work never goes unnoticed. This was emphasised during the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Institutional Teaching Excellence Awards ceremony (ITEA) which took place on 20 April in Potchefstroom.

The annual event gives recognition to the best lecturers of the NWU. This year top honours went to a lecturer of the Potchefstroom…

NWU hosts guest lecture by University of Ghana’s pro vice-chancellor

On 19 April 2017 the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Mahikeng hosted a guest lecture by Prof Bill Puplampu, pro vice-chancellor of the University of Ghana and a professor in organisational behaviour.

Prof Puplambu’s lecture was titled “Between the elephant and the ant hill: organisational behaviour through an African lens…

Young NWU scientist rub shoulders with Nobel Prize winners

Few scientific events are more prestigious than those where Nobel Prize winners share their knowledge. Retha Peach, a doctoral student from the North-West University (NWU), is being given the rare opportunity to attend a gathering where 31 Nobel laureates will be present.

Retha is one of five scientists whom the Academy of Science of…

Linking research to practice: Joining hands for inclusive education

The Optentia Research Focus Area on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark, the Faculty of Education Sciences on the NWU’s campus in Potchefstroom, and the Flemish Association for Development, Cooperation and Technical Assistance (VVOB) are hosting the Second Symposium on Teacher Education for Inclusion on 7 and 8 June 2017…

Development Economics the focus of inaugural economics conference

The subject group of Economics at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark recently hosted a very successful conference on Development Economics.

The conference – which was hosted for the first time, is set to become an annual event and sees postgraduate students taking to the podium to discuss issues such as…

Developments in the South African economy and drivers of growth over the medium term

Domestic factors are impacting the South African economy adversely. The recent cabinet changes by President Jacob Zuma and the divisions within the ANC are examples of such domestic instability which might see the country experiencing a ratings down grade in the near future.

In light of this, Lerato Mothibi and Lorainne Ferreira from the…

NWU unveils new nursing building

Prof Dan Kgwadi, vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), led the celebrations on the Mahikeng Campus, on 30 March 2017 during the unveiling of its new nursing building.

Unveiling the new nursing building plaque are Prof Sevid Mashego, Prof Mashudu Davhana-Maselesele, campus rector, and Prof Dan Kgwadi,…

A South African web-based platform for speech transcription

With 11 official languages in South Africa, finding an effective yet affordable way to transcribe speech to text was never going to be easy, but that is set to change with some innovative thinking from researchers who are creating an open source web-based platform for speech transcription.

Researchers from North-West University’s…

Metals in bird eggs a source of concern in Orange River catchment area

The heron that laid the golden egg? Scientists from the North-West University (NWU) have found several metals and metalloids in bird eggs in the catchment area of the Orange River which could pose a potential health risk to humans.

Prof Henk Bouwman from the Faculty of Natural Sciences says this study was part of a larger project to…