Potchefstroom Campus News

Researchers demonstrate that conservation and development can go hand in hand

While cities in Africa expand rapidly and the pressure for economic growth is increasing, the protected areas on the continent face a complex challenge: how to conserve nature and empower people.

At the North-West University (NWU) the Protected Areas Research Group, led by Prof. Reece Alberts, Prof. François Retief, Prof. Claudine Roos and Prof. Dirk Cilliers, is working to find exactly that balance.

“Conservation areas are the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation,” says Prof. Alberts. “They are essential to prevent the loss in biodiversity. Yet, we have to admit that… Read more

NWU builds a first-in-the-world reactor for better sustainability, cleaner air

Chemical engineers at the North-West University (NWU), together with experts in the industry, just released a first-in-the-world reactor that will hold great benefits for industries and the man on the street.

Prof Sanette Marx, who heads the research chair in biofuel for the National Research Foundation (NRF), says that the NRF…

NWU alumna crowned as Miss SA 2017

When the 21-year old Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters was announced as Miss South Africa 2017 on 26 March, the whole of the North-West University (NWU) and all its stakeholders, cheered as one. For the first time in history, an alumna of the NWU walked away with this crown.

Demi-Leigh, who completed her BCom Business Management and…

Minister appoints two NWU experts

A national honour recently bestowed two experts of the North-West University (NWU). Prof Jeanetta du Plessis and Prof Richard Gordon, both from the Centre of Excellence in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacen), were appointed as members of the National Health Research Committee.

The committee falls under the National Department of…

NWU students give R3,5 million to the needy

R3 523 735.10. It is an amount that changes lives, it is an amount that makes a bleak day a better one. It is a record amount that was distributed to various individuals, schools, projects and welfare institutions during the North-West University’s (NWU’s) annual Student Rag Community Service (SRCS) pay-out function.

Founded in…

American art song canon on local stage

On Tuesday, 28 March, Christian Bester together with pianist Laetitia Orlandi and French horn player Shannon Armer, will present a recital of American art songs.

The recital will feature a variety of composition styles and regional flavours of American art songs composers, composed at the turn of the nineteenth-century till present…

9 000 inquisitive minds explore Science Centre

Few would say no to a journey of discovery that is not only education but also a great stress reliever. It should come as no surprise then, that the North-West University's (NWU's) Science Centre on the Potchefstroom Campus has seen a spike in visitors in the past year.

School visits where learners are taken on a journey of discovery…

Women in the arts in the spotlight

Women in the arts are currently the focus of artworks in the North-West University’s (NWU’s) art gallery at the Potchefstroom Campus.

The gallery, in collaboration with the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC, this month puts the spotlight on works of female artists, as well as on the works by women that the NWU…

Three former NWU students on SAICA’s honours roll

Three former students from the North-West University (NWU) again underlined why the School of Accounting Sciences is an institute par excellence. 

Louise de Kramer, Ronet Jordaan and GJ Richter were all named on the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants’ (SAICA’s) Honours Roll, a list that signifies exceptional…

NWU researchers receive significant funding to tackle huge threat in Africa

A portfolio of clinical research programmes are set to launch on South African soil with the potential to enhance the scientific understanding of what is expected to become the most common cause of death in South Africa - non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Researchers studying cardiovascular diseases and it’s risk factors at the North-West…

Jonker brothers soar to greater heights

Many pairs of brothers have made their mark in the history of aviation. Just think of the Wright brothers, the Bell brothers and the Taylor brothers. However, the Jonker brothers from Potchefstroom are second to none and in the past 10 years have stirred up the world glider market with their business, Jonker Sailplanes.

Their…