Franco taking student life in his stride

It was love at first sight. Boy meets campus. In 2019, Franco van Dijk visited the North-West University (NWU) campus in Potchefstroom as part of a tour by his school choir.

“We saw a lot of the campus – it almost felt like an open day. I really liked what I saw and decided that this was where I wanted to go,” says Franco, who…

Young entrepreneur takes haircare products to the world

For this young woman entrepreneurship is a way of life. North-West University (NWU) master’s student in chemistry, Paula Maseko, recently started her own business by producing and selling haircare products.

Paula, who hails from Lonelypark in Mahikeng, started her business in 2020 in her mother’s garage. With a few pots, bowls, a hand…

NWU Business School: Rises like a phoenix

Academia’s “best kept secret” is rising like a phoenix after the pandemic. The prestigious North-West University (NWU) Business School held a Brag & Brand function in Potchefstroom on Monday, 26 April that was attended by lecturers, staff and alumni.

Prof Linda du Plessis, acting vice-chancellor of the NWU, welcomed guests and said…

NWU now ranks in top 4,5% of global universities

The North-West University (NWU) continues to shine in global rankings. In the latest rankings, the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) placed the NWU in the top 4,5% of universities in their 2022/2023 edition of the Global 2000 list. This is an improvement from being in the top 4,7% in last year’s ranking.

This outstanding…

Student wins VC Medal with research on deep learning in space weather

Jacques Beukes of the MUST Deep Learning research group at the Faculty of Engineering is the 2021 winner of a North-West University (NWU) Vice-Chancellor’s Medal for his dissertation “Interpretability of deep neural networks for SYM-H prediction”. Eight vice-chancellor’s medals are awarded annually to the best master’s-degree students at the…

The NWU’s people-centred approach to community engagement during the Covid-19 pandemic

Phenyo Mokgothu

On 22 March 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced what was essentially the end of the country’s lockdown or state of national disaster almost two years since it was imposed. This is an opportune time to look back on…

NWU empowers future graduates

Mafumane Tlhapi

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Alumni Relations office in conjunction with its Career Centre recently hosted a Career Empowerment seminar across its three campuses to prepare students for the working environment.

Various companies attended the events, including Standard bank…

NWU’s Ikateleng on the up-and-up three decades later

After offering much-needed assistance to thousands of learners to get them ready for higher education, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Ikateleng project is going from strength to strength.

Ikateleng – which means to empower yourself – provides supplementary teaching in mathematics, economics, business studies, accounting, life…

Understanding the world of homeless people suffering from mental illness

Phenyo Mokgothu

Globally, one of the main causes of street homelessness is chronic mental illness, and South Africa is no different. Researchers from the North-West University (NWU) have some recommendations on how the plight of these vulnerable people can be…

New grant to target global killer

Bertie Jacobs

Malaria is a global killer, a disease that destroys human lives and the economies of countries in which it thrives.

According to the latest figures by the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 241 million cases of malaria in 2020, with an estimated 627 000…