Mother and son doing first year at university together

With a 25-year age gap between them, mother and son Susan and Janu Fouche have both been accepted to do their first year at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (NWU).

Forty-three-year-old Susan is studying towards a social work qualification, while her 18-year-old son is pursuing a degree in computer and…

NWU rewards exceptional lecturers

​The North-West University (NWU) celebrated the torchbearers of its teaching excellence during a virtual event. The best-of-the-best lecturers of 2020 were acknowledged for their work in taking teaching and learning to higher levels during the annual Teaching Excellence Award (TEA) ceremony, which was streamed online on 25 March. The NWU is…

NWU researcher collaborates in international fungi study

The fungus that spoils bread does not work alone. It has guests hidden deep within its cells – bacteria – with whom it has a mutually beneficial relationship that can be positive or negative for humans. Understanding and modifying this relationship can have a profound impact on the food, medical and agricultural industries. This is the focus…

NWU lecturer uses information technology to make a difference 

Chuku Taole, North-West University (NWU) Information Technology (IT) lecturer and Vanderbijlpark Campus alumnus, is committed to making a positive and lasting difference in the Lethabo Power Village where he grew up. 

For the past few years, the former NWU Student Representative Council member, together with a group of…

NWU study: how indigenous fruit trees can benefit food security

“Indigenous fruits have long been collected from the wild for human consumption and other purposes. This concept of ‘one tree, many uses’ speaks to how indigenous fruit trees are valued for many things other than just their fruits.”

This is…

Young NWU lecturers making mathematics fashionable

North-West University (NWU) lecturers Tshepiso Mahura (28) and Thokozani Jele (27) have much in common.

Working at the Vanderbijlpark Campus, these best friends are both young academics from disadvantaged backgrounds, both pursuing their PhDs, and both taking the road less travelled – mathematics.

Thokozani – who…

BEWARE: Conditions are ideal for an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever

The good rains that have fallen over the last month in many areas of South Africa have caused ideal conditions for an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF).

These conditions include flooding and the formation of pans of water in which the Aedes…

NWU Mahikeng Campus welcomes top-rated researcher

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus is proud to welcome Prof Don Kurtz as an extraordinary professor.

Prof Kurtz is based in the United Kingdom and is an A1-rated professor, the highest such rating in the research fraternity.

The…

NWU researcher investigates role of traditional medicine in skin disorders

Many people rely on traditional plant remedies to treat skin disorders, and now a North-West University (NWU) researcher has investigated why these plants are effective, paving the way for further research by the pharmaceutical industry. “The use of indigenous knowledge in providing primary healthcare, especially in most indigenous African…

NWU researcher helps uncover new data about Earth and the Milky Way

A new study has lifted the veil on some of the mysteries of the Milky Way. It has found that the Earth is moving faster than it used to and is nearly 2 000 light-years closer to the black hole in the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy. This is according to new data, documented over a period of 15 years, by the Japanese radio astronomy project,…