Short story one of only three in SA shortlisted for prestigious prize

A student from the North-West University (NWU) is one of 28 writers from 19 countries whose short story has been shortlisted by an international judging panel for the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

Matshediso Radebe, a third-year communication student at the NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus, is also one of only three writers from South…

Newly discovered frog species named after Prof Louis du Preez

Prof Louis du Preez, professor of zoology at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (NWU), was honoured by having a newly discovered Malagasy frog species named after him.

The honour was bestowed by a group of German scientists from the University of Braunschweig, Landesmuseum in Darmstadt, and the Zoological Museum in…

NWU students battle it out for Hult prize

This year, North-West University (NWU) students showed their mettle during the on-campus qualifying round of the 2023 Hult Prize competition.

This international competition challenges young people to solve the world’s most pressing issues through social entrepreneurship. Every year, the best team globally receives $1 000 000 in funding…

This is how the CHM is saving lives

The early diagnosis of inherited metabolic diseases not only helps to prevent patients from having a lifetime of suffering, it also saves lives.

Metabolic diseases have a variety of life-threatening consequences, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The symptoms of some of these diseases are well-known and do not need intense…

Extent of increase in borrowing costs is surprising

Contrary to the consensus view expressed by many economists that the repo rate would be raised by only 25 basis points (bsp) on 30 March, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) decided by a 3:2 vote to raise interest rates again by 50 bsp.

In commenting on the decision to increase the repo rate,…

Benito Trollip’s PhD is ‘a very long love letter to Afrikaans’

"Doing my PhD was an almost indescribable journey with many ups and downs that all contributed to making it an overall enriching experience. There is no denying all the (many) times giving up was the only thought in my mind, just as there’s no denying the affirming moments I felt like I am exactly the right person for this study. I feel…

Dr Muzi Matfunjwa – an activist for African languages

Dr Muzi Matfunjwa, a digital humanities researcher for Siswati at the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) at the North-West University (NWU), describes himself as a language activist. He believes in the promotion of African languages, especially Siswati, as an official language and an academic discipline.

"I…

Repositories pivotal for language preservation

by Birgit Ottermann

Two researchers from the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) at the North-West University (NWU) share their findings on the existence, use and importance of language repositories in the latest issue of the Journal of the Digital Humanities Association of Southern…

Low voter turnout: Education is how we fix it – North-West University

The punishment does not fit the crime. South Africa has an endemic, growing and unique disease that is not only affecting the health of our country’s democratic structures, but is also an ill-conceived form of retribution for the lack of service delivery. Voter turnout continues to decline, but abstention is not the cure for consternation. It…

Ronel Emms: “You can write books about her.”

She is the undisputed mother figure of the Rugby Institute at the North-West University (NWU). She is one of the heroes behind the scenes. She is the friendly face who greets you first. She is Ronel Emms, and her share in the Rugby Institute’s bulging trophy case is just as big as that of all those tries behind the gold.

As the…