Floods expose shortcomings in North West disaster response systems

Heavy floods that cut off roads, bridges and communities across the North West Province have exposed gaps in disaster preparedness, emergency response capacity and long-term planning, according to Prof. Christo Coetzee.

While the province has disaster management plans in place across most district and local municipalities, many of…

From classroom to boardroom: students bring rewards and remuneration to life during Workers’ Month

As South Africa commemorates Workers’ Month, second-year personnel psychology students at the North-West University (NWU) transformed theory into practice through an engaging and thought-provoking classroom initiative focused on the theme: Rewards and Remuneration in the Workplace.

NurseLead: A groundbreaking initiative to transform nursing leadership in South Africa

Prof. Siedine Coetzee and Dr Mirriam Matandela

A powerful new chapter in South African nursing leadership began on 5 and 6 May 2026, when the National Department of Health and the North-West University (NWU) officially initiated the groundbreaking NurseLead programme – a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to…

GIS outreach initiative turns classrooms into real-world mapping labs

An annual Geographic Information Systems (GIS) outreach programme is transforming how Grade 12 learners understand geography, shifting it from a textbook subject to a hands-on, technology-driven discipline with real-world relevance.

Led by senior lecturer Dr Nisa Ayob, the…

Academic examines digital political communication in African indigenous languages

A new book co-edited by Prof. Gilbert Motsaathebe, deputy dean for teaching and learning in the Faculty of Humanities at the North-West University (NWU), explores how African indigenous languages are used and represented in political communication on digital platforms.

Titled…

Ranking places researcher third in neuroscience in South Africa

The 2026 edition of the ranking of the Best Scientists in Neuroscience by Research.com places Prof. Brian Harvey from the subject group Pharmacology at the North-West University (NWU) among the three most cited researchers in the field in South Africa.

Prof. Harvey says this accolade highlights his decades of work in neuropharmacology…

Tourism growth places focus on jobs, trade and policy, expert says

Africa's Travel Indaba 2026 is being held in KwaZulu-Natal from 11 to 14 May, drawing participation from more than 22 African countries. Attention is squarely on tourism’s role in driving jobs, trade and economic growth across South Africa and the continent.

Prof. Elmarie Slabbert, research director of Tourism Research in Economics,…

South Africans are in a suburban arms race

Violent crime in South Africa is rampant, with the country frequently ranked as one of the most dangerous in the world, as well as among the most unsafe in Africa. Citizens are afraid, and justifiably so, adapting to crime as though it is no longer temporary, but permanent. This fear has for decades quietly been redesigning suburban South…

Law School to Law Firm series to bridge gap between theory and legal practice

The North-West University (NWU) has launched a new Law School to Law Firm series aimed at bridging the gap between academic theory and the practical realities of the legal profession.

The initiative, led by the Law Students’ Academic Chapter (LSAC), is designed to equip final-year and postgraduate law students with the tools, insights…

Cost versus impact: legal expert comments on commission effectiveness

Questions about the cost and impact of commissions of inquiry in South Africa are intensifying as the Madlanga Commission faces a possible six-month extension amid funding constraints, prompting renewed scrutiny over whether such processes deliver value for money.

With R123 million of its R147 million budget already spent, the Madlanga…