NWU shines as one of Africa’s top eight sustainability-driven universities

The North-West University (NWU) continues to build on its reputation as an innovative, globally engaged institution committed to excellence and societal relevance. This commitment is driven by its strategy, Taking the NWU forward: 2024 and beyond. This is once again affirmed in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Sustainability Ranking, which…

Hydroelectricity lowers emissions, natural gas shows mixed impact in SA study

South Africa is a top carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitter in Africa, and new research explores how the country’s energy choices shape its sustainability path.

Shivangi Nilan Patel, a recent cum laude graduate of the North-West University (NWU), investigated the effect of hydroelectricity and natural gas consumption on environmental…

NWU drives innovation with remote monitoring technology

The North-West University (NWU) continues to show its commitment to cutting-edge innovation and practical research solutions. The new STRIDE remote unit, which makes remote management of equipment and processes possible, easier and more accessible, is the latest business-ready technology to come out of the Faculty…

Engineering students’ rural healthcare solution recognised at SAIIE competition

A healthcare transport solution designed to deliver medical services to remote communities has earned two students from the North-West University (NWU) national recognition in a leading engineering competition.

The winners of the 2025 South African Institute for Industrial Engineering (SAIIE) Student Competition were announced on 5…

Professor honoured as International Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering

North-West University (NWU) extraordinary professor Linda Godfrey has been elected as an International Fellow of the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) in the United Kingdom.

This is the second key role she has had within the ambit of the RAEng. For the past four years, Prof Godfrey has served on the Board of the Academy’s…

South Africa’s local power play

South Africa’s municipalities are rediscovering an old habit: generating their own electricity. In a country long dominated by Eskom, the lumbering state utility, the city of eThekwini has announced an ambitious strategy to reduce its reliance on the national grid by 40% by 2030. With Eskom’s ageing infrastructure,…

NWU School of Mines and Mining Engineering set for future success

The North West province of South Africa sits on a bedrock of riches. From platinum to chrome, vanadium to gold, the region is among the most mineral-endowed in the world. Yet its communities remain scarred by poverty and unemployment, relics of a resource economy too often divorced from local benefit. For a province…

Alumnus Andries van Heerden leads Afrimat in mining and industrial expansion

North-West University (NWU) alumnus Andries van Heerden is the chief executive officer of Afrimat Limited, a JSE-listed company that supplies iron ore, anthracite, phosphate, construction materials and industrial minerals across Southern Africa.

“I started as a first-year mechanical engineering student in Potchefstroom in 1984,” he…

Our vision for mining innovation gains ground in Latin America

On 10 June 2025, Prof Mzubanzi Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), led a senior academic delegation on a strategic two-week mission to Brazil and Peru. The objective: to deepen global partnerships in higher education and research.

Representing the NWU’s Faculty of Engineering, Prof Kapil…

North- West University professor joins Palladium Global Science Award jury

North-West University (NWU) is playing an important role in the newly launched Palladium Global Science Award, a major international initiative recognizing research in advanced palladium-based materials. With a substantial prize fund of $350,000, the award supports innovation in one of the most critical fields of materials science.

…