Accreditation brings NWU’s medical school closer to reality

The North-West University (NWU) has reached a decisive milestone in establishing the Desmond Tutu School of Medicine following the accreditation of its Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) programme by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council on Higher Education (CHE).

South Africa should reclaim its place in the nuclear fuel future

South Africa was developing HALEU-range nuclear fuel years before it became a global strategic priority.

The knowledge acquired through the PBMR programme could help South Africa re-enter the advanced nuclear fuel market. 

Rebuilding South Africa’s…

The Springboks are South Africa’s sporting brand par excellence

A green-and-gold jersey bearing the leaping springbok. It is synonymous not only with South Africa’s national rugby team, but with the country as a whole. The jersey can be seen in stadiums, pubs and public spaces across the globe.

The Springboks are more than a rugby team; they are…

NWU signs strategic agricultural partnership

NWU signs strategic agricultural partnership to drive food security, rural economic growth and innovation 

The North-West University (NWU), Community Venture Capital (Pty) Ltd (CVC), and NWU Enterprises (Pty) Ltd (NWUE) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Friday, 7 August to strengthen collaboration in…

The collective power of women who lead from within

National Women’s Day commemorates the 20,000 women who marched to the Union Buildings in 1956, giving us the powerful words: “Wathint’ abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo” – “You strike a woman, you strike a rock.” But I sometimes wonder whether we remember only the determination of those women, or whether we acknowledge the…

A national debate on STEM education is not optional; it is critical

South Africa’s infrastructure is failing, but the deeper crisis is that we are not developing the engineers, scientists and innovators needed to rebuild it.

South Africa boasts Africa’s leading universities, yet its basic education system remains among the world’s weakest—an alarming…

Xenophobic tendencies will kill our South African dream

Twice I was there when South Africa was the centre of the universe. The last decade of the 20th century heralded the arrival of a nation poised to lead through moral example, as we pledged never again to repeat our tainted history. Today, many citizens threaten violence against foreigners, and once again we face becoming one of the world's…

New leadership at the helm of the NWU Council

The North-West University (NWU) Council unanimously elected a new chairperson and deputy chairperson at its Council meeting on Thursday, 18 June 2026.

René Kenosi, a qualified chartered accountant with more than 30 years’ experience in governance, risk management, audit and counter…

A father, a farmer and South Africa’s energy future

By Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU).

I am the father of six beautiful children. They shape me every day. They shape what I value and how I see the future. I think of them when I walk on my cattle farm in the heart of the North…

South Africa’s government is drowning in its own complexity

The South African government is becoming trapped within layers of accumulated complexity. The government therefore appears simultaneously hyper-present and absent. Complex systems create discretion and discretion creates power. Economic success becomes tied less to productive capability and more to proximity to administrative systems. The…