New PhDs are music to the ears

Uncertainty reigns and doubt about the future is fostered in all but the most optimistic minds. What has remained a constant is the North-West University’s (NWU’s) superlative research output and our researchers’ indefatigable pursuit of excellence.

At the May and June graduation ceremonies, 136 PhDs were awarded, with more ceremonies…

Watch out for contaminated meat sold on the streets

The wide range of bacterial species found in ready-to-eat meat sold on the streets of Johannesburg indicates that consumers of this meat could be at risk of food poisoning.

This is according to the findings of a study conducted by Dr Mpinda Edoaurd Tshipamba, North-West University (NWU) master’s graduate in the subject group Animal…

Research looks at how interpretation affects Bible reading in Africa

The way in which Scripture is read and interpreted has a major effect on what people read in the Bible. This also determines their approach to concerning and topical issues with which the faithful struggle.

This is the focus of the research by Prof Marius Nel, research chair in Ecumenism: Pentecostalism and Neo-Pentecostalism, on the…

Middle English fires the imagination of top-rated researcher

With a B2 rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF), Prof David Scott-Macnab is the highest rated researcher currently employed in the Faculty of Humanities at the North-West University (NWU).

To receive a B2 rating, an academic needs to have published a substantial body of research in top-tier, high-impact international…

Perennial grasses are the answer for veld restoration

In a water-scarce country like South Africa with growing demands for grazing, cultivated perennial grasses could be the answer to protecting the veld and providing nutrition for animals.

“Droughts, scarcity of rain and overgrazing have caused a lot of degradation of the veld, and therefore veld restoration is a priority for farmers and…

Disease response projects aim to make Africa self-sufficient

In a time of Covid-19 fatigue, citizens are now confronted with an even deadlier and highly transmissible Delta variant. This new virus mutation impacts on already overburdened and under-resourced health systems. More alarming is that on day 460 of the lockdown in South Africa, less than 1% of the population was fully immunised.

Also,…

Reshuffled cabinet is an important step in the right direction

“The announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa of a reshuffled cabinet on 5 August is a long-awaited important step in the right direction to help rebuild business confidence at a time when it has been badly shaken by recent events in South Africa.”

Prof Raymond Parsons, an…

International recognition for one of our own

The International Union of Physiological Sciences (IUPS) is constituted of many societies and academies within the physiological sciences worldwide. That is why the Faculty of Health Sciences is extremely proud that one of our own was given the opportunity to represent our country in such a union.

Project team wants all university students to have access to indigenous African languages

University students who have a mother tongue other than English should not be at a disadvantage compared to those who do speak English at home. This is why it is important to level the language playing field. The North-West University (NWU) is one of four tertiary education institutions in South Africa to work with three European universities…

NWU-Juta Mock Trials – a decade of bridging the gap between practice and theory

The popular annual NWU-Juta Mock Trial competition celebrated its tenth birthday and finals in a virtual courtroom on 2 August.  This was the first time that the entire competition, from the first elimination rounds to the finals, took place online.

A…