Human Interest News

Moody’s: SA must get its house in order to avoid universal junk status

“Moody's decision to reduce the outlook for its credit rating of the South African government from 'stable' to 'negative' is not unexpected in the light of the country’s weak economy and deteriorating public finances.”

This is according to Prof Raymond Parsons, a well-known economist and academic from the North-West University (…

Rugby club ends year on a high note

When you achieve 75 per cent of the objectives of your three-year turnaround plan in one year, one of two things happened: either your goals were set too low, or you had an exceptional season. In the case of the North-West University (NWU) Vaal Rugby Club the second scenario applies.

This club recently held its prize-giving function at…

Final-year picnic: the tassel was worth the hassle!

More than 200 final-year students at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark recently took to the lush green banks of the Vaal River to catch up with friends and enjoy their last few weeks on the campus before graduation.

The final-year picnic is an annual event that offers senior students an opportunity to come…

Prioritising physical activity on a global level

During the second congress of the BRICS Council of Exercise and Sports Science (BRICSCESS) recently held in Cape Town, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Prof Hans de Ridder was named as the new president of this global organisation. 

The purpose of BRICSCESS is to promote communication, interaction and cooperation among all…

NWU celebrates equity in open knowledge

In recognition of Open Access Week, the Library and Information Systems Directorate at the North-West University (NWU) recently hosted several discussion sessions on the theme: “Open for Whom? Equity in Open Knowledge”.

Open Access Week was celebrated across the three campuses and various topics were discussed. These ranged from the…

Latest medium-term budget policy statement confirms grim nature of SA’s fiscal challenge

“Given the domestic and global headwinds facing the South African economy, the medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS) strongly shifts the narrative towards recognising the grim nature of the fiscal crisis that has to be addressed in the country.”

This is according to Prof Raymond Parsons, a well-known economist and academic…

NWU’s humanities recognised in world rankings

The North-West University (NWU) has always prided itself on its performance in international and national rankings. These rankings are good benchmarks for comparing the quality of education at the university with that of other universities, locally and abroad.

The newest ranking results by Times Higher Education World University…

School of Philosophy hosts colloquium and essay competition

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) School of Philosophy recently hosted an Undergraduate Colloquium and an essay competition.

Any student currently enrolled in a 2019 undergraduate philosophy class was eligible to submit an essay. Participants had to write a 2 000 to 3 000 words essay on any topic, and had to include a thesis…

NWU confers Africa’s first PhD in IKS focussing on African indigenous astronomy

For centuries people in Africa have measured time, seasons and direction by the stars, and now the North-West University (NWU) has conferred the continent’s first PhD in Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) focussing on African indigenous astronomy on Dr Motheo Koitsiwe.

He received his degree on 17 October at the campus in Mahikeng.…

NWU leads the way in transport economics and logistics management

With Transport Month almost at an end, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Karen Visser, a lecturer in transport economics, explains why this is such an important field and how the university is building the workforce of South Africa.

How it all started

The NWU’s subject group Transport Economics and Logistics Management…