Remembering Prof Claassen

He strode the red, rich earth of the old Western Transvaal like a colossus, this enigma of a man. Hard and uncompromising, dedicated to the extreme. For decades his name was known in rugby circles the world over as a Goliath of the game.

And I got to wear his blazer once.

In the amateur days of the sport – when “bricklayer…

Covid-19, the virus of uncertainty: the dominoes are falling one by one in the economy

The Covid-19 virus is causing unprecedented uncertainty on a global scale. An economist from the North-West University (NWU) says the impact of the pandemic is expected to be greater than that of the Spanish flu of a century ago.

According to Prof Danie Meyer, a development economist and director of the TRADE research focus area at…

Driving Gerhard Horn

The Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas is a 5,513 km test of driving expertise. Most turns bank to the left, exerting excessive amounts of G-force on the driver. “Don’t brake too late,” the motoring journalist mutters to himself as he reaches the apex of what the vehicle allows going down the straight. His face contorts as his…

Practical project helps communities

With the prevention of the spreading of the Covid-19 virus on everyone’s lips, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) subject group Textile Sciences came up with an innovative idea for their practical work.

These students are all making masks from different materials at home to distribute them to workers in their vicinity who are…

How to resolve coronavirus food shortages

It is no secret that millions of South Africans currently suffer under the impact of the lockdown regulations introduced because of the coronavirus pandemic. The poor access to food is probably the biggest tragedy, because millions of citizens do not know where their next meal is coming from.

A Potchefstroom engineering company,…

Prof runs 1 100 laps to help alleviate hunger

On the morning of 24 April, Prof Dewald van Niekerk, laced up his running shoes and started running around his house in Potchefstroom. The time was 10:30. When he finally stopped to unlace his shoes, twenty-four hours and ten minutes later, he’d circled his house 1 100 times to clock a distance of 110km.

Dewald, together with…

NWU neonatal expert paves the way forward

When it comes to midwifery, neonatal care and nursing research, the name of North-West University’s Prof Welma Lubbe is the first that comes to mind.

As a dedicated researcher and founder of Little Steps – a research-based parenting website – Prof Lubbe was recently appointed for a third term (of five years each) as the South African…

Restriction strategy allows SA valuable time to prepare – NWU virologist

As South Africa prepares to ease restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19, a North-West University (NWU) virologist, Prof Albie van Dijk, shares her views on the country’s fight against the pandemic.

Prof Van Dijk is a lecturer and researcher in the Biochemistry subject group at the NWU’s campus in Potchefstroom, and…

New NWU voice for popular radio programme

The North-West University has for years been an informative and entertaining presence on the very popular weekly environmental radio programme, Omgewingspraatjies. This tradition continues with a new expert following in the footsteps of his NWU colleagues.

Ruhann Steyn, a researcher and lecturer who is currently also busy with his…

Social media now a field for serious research

While some people might think the social media field is purely for popular consumption, it has become a separate field of study for research in its own right.

Prof Wian Erlank of the Faculty of Law at the North-West University (NWU) says much has been written about the sociological and even psychological aspects of social media,…