NWU aims for a LGBTIQ+ feather in its cap

The NWU is constantly working towards building a culture of inclusion and acceptance. To this end, it has put in place policies and programmes that promote gender equality for both students and staff.

These efforts have scored the university a nomination at the upcoming Feather Awards in the Best LGBTIQ+ Student Movement category.…

Understanding consensual non-monogamy (swinging) from a South African perspective

While some people consider it a taboo, swinging - the act of allowing one’s partner to engage in sexual intercourse with other people - has been practised around the globe for decades.

A simple Google search gives thousands of results on the lifestyle, yet relatively little is known about swinging from a South African perspective.…

Pre-TSD and the Covid-19 conundrum

The impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on our mental health cannot be understated. From a South African perspective, months of a hard lockdown has changed the way we live, the way we work and the very way we operate. Mentally we have not escape unscarred.

A new study by Afriforte and the WorkWell research unit at the North-West…

Project on swearing produces scientific knowledge

“To my mind, the project has progressed exceptionally well. Not only have technology and infrastructure been established for sound research in the years ahead, but we have also gained a large number of registered users.”

These are the words of Prof Gerhard van Huyssteen, professor in Afrikaans and Dutch Linguistics at the North-West…

Getting the most out of medicinal plant extracts with nanotechnology

A North-West University (NWU) graduate is bringing together age-old plant knowledge and the latest nanotechnology to make the most of medicinal plant extracts.

According to a United States National Nanotechnology Initiative, nanotechnology is currently revolutionising the technology and industrial sectors. These include information…

Breast cancer is forever

The month of October marks breast cancer awareness month – also known as Pinktober. This is an annual campaign to increase awareness of this dreaded and dark disease – ironically, at the time of the year when most trees here are blossoming and beautifully covered in pink. Cancer is often a very lonely and emotional battle to fight, but it…

A different guise, a great event

It was an event as unique as it was entertaining. It was peculiar and inventive. It was a blast. On Sunday, 18 October 2020, the North-West University’s Potchefstroom Campus hosted one of three simultaneous legs of the Sanlam Cape Town Virtual Marathon – Elite Invitational, with the men’s overall winner, Edward Mothibi, running on the…

Economic recovery plan should have said more about implementation and timelines

While there are positive features to the latest economic reconstruction and recovery plan, it needed to say much more about implementation processes and timelines, says North-West University (NWU) Business School economist, Prof Raymond Parsons.

“The fact that the long-awaited economic reconstruction and recovery plan announced on…

Project launched in MASCCOM Training Centre

We are living in times in which we are required to support our learners to acquire new ways of learning and the competencies needed for them to enter and be successful in their studies and careers in engineering. These are challenging times in which we need to empower learners for the “new normal” to study and work in the Fourth Industrial…

Smarketing: Putting your money where your nose is

Marketers and retailers are finding increasingly ingenious ways to lure prospective buyers to their products. And, according to Dr Roland Goldberg, a senior lecturer in marketing at the North-West University (NWU), your wallet is more closely connected to your nose than you might think.

One of his fields of expertise is retail…