NWU vice-chancellor, Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, pleads for aligned academic hospital in North West

NWU vice-chancellor, Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, pleads for aligned academic hospital in North West

Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), has lauded Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s announcement that plans are in place to add to the country’s ten academic hospitals.

Minister…

Global warming places Africa’s wildlife in peril

Drought, intensified by global warming and compounded by human action, has taken a devastating toll on wildlife across Africa and the Amazon between 2023 and 2025. According to a sobering new United Nations report, animal populations are being ravaged not just by thirst and starvation, but by human intervention as…

R44 billion: The big bucks of hunting tourism

• Approximately 95 000 jobs in South Africa depend on hunting tourism.

•Hunting tourism contributes USD2.5 billion, or about R44.03 billion to South Africa’s economy.

• Hunting tourism massively benefits rural communities.

• South Africa’s wildlife population on private land exceeds that in national parks.

Amid…

The hidden cost of a broken funding system: South Africa’s public universities

Prof Linda du Plessis, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning at the North-West University (NWU), explains why the ongoing dysfunction within the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and various Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) is not only jeopardising the futures of vulnerable students but also placing…

Floyd Shivambu and the fight for his political future

Enigmatic and erratic, bold and belligerent. Floyd Shivambu walks the line between chaos and command like few other South African politicians do, with both his detractors and supporters asking: What is next for Floyd?

As has become the norm, Shivambu has recently evoked the ire of yet another of his political homes – the MK Party (MKP…

Prof Bismark appointed chairperson of SABS Board

He is known for setting the highest standards for himself, and now Prof Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), has been entrusted with doing the same for the country. As the newly appointed member and chairperson of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), he will steer an institution that plays…

NWU Desmond Tutu School of Medicine cements future with North West Department of Health partnership

The future of the North-West University’s (NWU) Desmond Tutu School of Medicine was further consolidated on Tuesday, 24 June 2025, with the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MoA) between the NWU and the North West Department of Health (NWDoH) on the university’s Potchefstroom Campus.

“It is a privilege to be able to celebrate…

Breaking the HIV bottleneck: Why sub-Saharan Africa must lead the way

· African nations must build their own research capacity, rather than relying solely on Western institutions and donors.

· Africa remains largely overlooked in HIV sequencing research, despite bearing the greatest burden.

· It is time for Africa to reclaim agency over its health future.

· Global HIV research is biased…

What Helen Zille’s running as mayor of Johannesburg could mean

Is a political heavyweight stepping back into the boxing ring? Helen Zille, the current Chairperson of the Federal Council of the Democratic Alliance (DA), former leader of the DA, former Mayor of Cape Town and Premier of the Western Cape, is considering running for Mayor of Johannesburg.

Zille is known as a formidable political…

New species of rain frog, Breviceps batrachophiliorum, discovered

In the damp, grassy slopes of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, an unassuming amphibian has leapt into the scientific spotlight. Named Breviceps batrachophiliorum – Latin for ‘frog-loving people’ – this newly described species of rain frog is a triumph of taxonomy and a compelling example of the intersection of citizen science and academic rigour.…