How to unlock the job market for IKS graduates

deur Mafumane Tlhapi

In the corridors of higher learning, indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) has emerged as a growing academic discipline. But in the job market, its graduates often meet closed doors and puzzled employers. A new study by a recent NWU PhD graduate, Dr Mamello Anna Hlabe uncovers the disconnect between the classroom and the labour market and the…

Decoding hidden signals of brown fat in obesity

deur Phenyo Mokgothu

When brown fat cells start sending the wrong signals, the body’s energy balance can shift in unexpected ways, which is bad news for people living with obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Dr Khanyisani Ziqubu, a PhD student from the North-West University (NWU), set out to investigate how brown fat behaves in obesity and whether plant-based…

Study finds crop rotation boosts soil health

deur Phenyo Mokgothu

Farmers looking to improve soil health and crop yields may find a solution in crop rotation, according to a study by North-West University (NWU) researchers. The study, published in the International Microbiology Journal, reveals that the rotation of crops leads to a more diverse and beneficial microbial community in soil.

Researchers…

Animal nutritionist explores the effects of marula seed cake on chicken production and meat quality

by Oscar Mosiane

Zibukile Gcinile Mchunu, a North-West University (NWU) master’s graduate from Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, conducted a study examining the effects of dietary inclusion of marula seed (kernel) cake on productive performance, health, gut metagenomes, and meat quality of indigenous Boschveld chickens.

She was supervised by Dr Doc Mthiyane from…

Hybrid workers need to rekindle the human connection

deur Mafumane Tlhapi

The academic workplace is no longer defined by shared offices and hallway conversations. As hybrid work becomes the norm, one researcher argues that the shift may be eroding the very ties that keep academic communities functioning.

“Academics are often isolated in their work, and hybrid work has amplified that,” said Dr Rudo Rachel…

Alumnus co-edits landmark books on indigenous knowledge systems

By Mokgothu Phenyo and Motsamai Gofaone

Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) are receiving growing academic recognition as a valid and valuable body of knowledge. An important factor in this is the contribution of scholars such as Dr Monicca Thulisile Bhuda, an alumnus of the North-West University (NWU).

…

What Google Maps and churches have in common when it comes to lifelong learning

By:Mafumane Tlhapi and Phenyo Mokgothu

The offline mode of Google Maps became more than a navigation tool when Pastor Piet Tlhabanyane, from Bethesda Kingdom Ministries (BKM), an NWU alumnus and a Council member, used it to explain the risks of outdated knowledge in church leadership.

“Without regular…

Campus radio is where Refilwe first found her voice

deur Phenyo Mokgothu

There is no better launchpad for a broadcasting career than campus radio, as Refilwe Palagangwe can confirm.

Better known as “Thee Iron Lady” because of her unshakable strength, discipline, and purpose, Refilwe has used her voice to chart a course through the intersecting worlds of radio, marketing and public speaking.

“…

How second-hand clothing paved the way for senior lecturer’s career

By Gofaone Motsamai

The road from Kagiso, where she sold second-hand clothing under the scorching Gauteng sun, to the lecture halls of North-West University (NWU) was long, bumpy and deeply personal for Dr Salphinah Vuloyimuni Ubisi.

Now a senior lecturer in the subject group Public Administration and…

How exchange rate swings shape growth in BRICS nations

deur Mafumane Tlhapi

When the Brazilian real stumbles or the Chinese yuan strengthens, the ripple travels far beyond currency traders’ screens; it strikes at the heart of the economic performance of nations belonging to the Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) bloc.

That’s the central premise of research by recent NWU PhD graduate Dr…