Abduction and forced marriage still happen in South Africa

Even in 21st century South Africa, a constitutional democracy, forced marriage is a reality for some young girls. Ukuthwala, the customary practice where girls under the age of 18 years are abducted and married off to older men, still occurs in the rural Eastern Cape.

Such marriages are usually arranged by the groom and the girl’s…

Social media now a field for serious research

While some people might think the social media field is purely for popular consumption, it has become a separate field of study for research in its own right.

Prof Wian Erlank of the Faculty of Law at the North-West University (NWU) says much has been written about the sociological and even psychological aspects of social media,…

NWU researcher advocates paternity leave

South Africa’s employment history has very little written about employed fathers compared to records about working mothers. However, fathers have been out in the workplace, away from home, longer than mothers have.

During the apartheid era, the migrant labour system contributed to this inequality, forcing fathers to work in areas…

Cooperation: A universal law

The North-West University prides itself as being not only one of the top-ranking universities in the country, but in Africa as well. In addition to that, the university boast numerous international partnerships that puts it on the forefront of our forward global surge towards creating a future that is rife with possibilities and unbound by…

Teaching and learning go online as NWU takes education to people

The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally disrupted teaching-learning activities in South Africa and across the globe. It also challenges how we think about education and assessment, in general.

“Disruptions are opportunities to reflect on assumptions made about teaching, learning and learners,” says Prof Robert Balfour, the North-…

NWU professor appointed as High Court judge

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Prof Elmarie van der Schyff of the Faculty of Law has been appointed as a judge in the Gauteng Division of the High Court after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed off on her appointment this week.

Prof Van der Schyff served as acting judge in the Gauteng Division of the High Court ,during which time…

NWU Law Faculty hosts gala dinner

The North West University’s (NWU) Faculty of Law recently hosted an extravagant gala event in Potchefstroom, with students, staff, alumni and stakeholders celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, among others.

The first of November was truly a night to remember.  Women were draped in beautiful…

As the court pleases – third-year Mahikeng students triumphant in mock trials

A team of third-year students from the Faculty of Law on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Mahikeng is this year’s winner in the popular annual NWU Juta Mock Trial competition that took place in Potchefstroom on 20 August.

The scene: the mock court in the Sanlam Auditorium on the campus in Potchefstroom; the crime:…

NWU-Juta mock trials: It is time for the scales of justice to tip

The exciting final of the annual North-West University (NWU) mock trials, hosted by the Faculty of Law with the support of Juta, will take place on 20 August at the Sanlam Auditorium on the campus in Potchefstroom.

It will be preceded by the equally thrilling semi-finals on 19 August. The presiding officers for the finals and semi-…

Amberley, an angel in disguise

A guardian angel is defined as an angel believed to protect a particular person, for instance from danger or error, and that is exactly what two-year-old Labrador Amberley is to her owner, Lindi Opperman.

Lindi, a final-year LLB student at the North West University’s campus in Potchefstroom, suffers from Type 1 diabetes. She has…