Potchefstroom Campus News

Prof Hans du Plessis: A literary giant passes away

He was of a different ilk. His immense literary stature cast a shadow under which so many South Africans found solace and comfort. Now, it is with sadness but also gratitude for the many contributions he made both culturally and academically, that the North-West University (NWU) has to say farewell to Prof Hans du Plessis, who passed away on Friday 24 October at the age of 79. 

Prof Hans was a beloved NWU faculty member since his appointment in 1981 as a professor in Afrikaans at the former Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education.

He was an esteemed writer,… Read more

Calling all prospective engineers to take part in the NWU’s Engineering Saturdays

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Engineering understands how the minds of young prospective engineering students work.

To this end, the faculty has established Engineering Saturdays; a programme that allows Grade 10 to 12 learners to visit the faculty to get an idea of the different engineering disciplines that…

NWU academic selected for Ubuntu Dialogues Fellowship Exchange Programme

Dr Allison Geduld, an academic at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Law,  was recently selected to take part in the Ubuntu Dialogues Fellowship Exchange Programme.

Ubuntu Dialogues is an exchange project between Stellenbosch University…

NWU off to winning start for Varsity Cup

The Eagles have landed! The NWU got their Varsity Cup campaign off to a winning start by beating the Madibaz from NMMU by 47–28 in Pretoria on Monday, 5 April.

As the score suggests, it was a hard-fought encounter with plenty of tries being poached on both sides. Coach André…

Prof Petra Engelbrecht – a legend in South African science

She really is the stuff legends are made of.

Prof Petra Engelbrecht, extraordinary professor at the Faculty of Education at the North-West University (NWU), is one of 62 researchers profiled in Legends of South African Science II, a publication by the Academy of Science of South…

Leader of the pack

Lincoln Daniels picks up his phone and he is a bit hesitant. Cordial to a fault, he tries not to let anything show. What I do not know, is that it is his birthday.

Physically, the newly appointed captain of the NWU’s Varsity Cup side bears little resemblance to some of his…

NWU presents a “Potchpourri” of great music

The North-West University’s annual Potchpourri concert series promises to be a delightful showcase of the many talents of the staff at the NWU’s School of Music and other South African musicians that will thrill enthusiasts of classical music.

The 2021 concert series starts on…

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…

Unchanged interest rates are in line with expectations

“The decision by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to again leave interest rates unchanged was widely anticipated and in line with market expectations.” Prof Raymond Parsons from the North-West University (NWU) Business School says that whereas, in the past few months, the MPC voted 3 to 2 in favour of…

Tokyo and 60 m are Jo-Ané’s targets

Jo-Ané van Dyk has just completed and hour-long physio session, but – like always – her personality is bubbling like champagne. “No,” says the 23-year-old javelin champion of the North-West University (NWU), there are no injuries: “Just maintenance work!”

She could have rested on her…

Whisper’s PhD research could help South African industry embrace digital transformation

Just as offices, shops, classrooms and lecture halls are embracing digital transformation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, so must the manufacturing industry. Known as Industry 4.0 or I4.0, the transformation is essential for the sustainability of local manufacturing. This prompted a PhD Engineering student at the North-West University (…