How Africa can develop a “society for all ages”

Africa is and will be the continent with the youngest population globally for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, many more people in Africa are living increasingly longer.   This finding is based on demographic trends on the continent and raises a host of complex issues for policymakers, according to Prof Jaco Hoffman, a professor of…

QS World University Rankings reconfirm NWU to be among the best

The latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking has placed the North-West University (NWU) among the top eight South African universities in the QS World University Rankings, which were released on 8 June.

Globally, the NWU has been placed in the 1 001 to 1 200 ranking category for the 2022/2023 QS World University Rankings – the same as…

New language resources for the four South African Nguni languages

Better technology tools are on the way for South Africa’s four Nguni languages. Research being done at the Centre for Text Technology (CTexT®) at the North-West University (NWU) is helping to fill in the missing links about how these languages are being used, which will in turn lead to the development of language tools based on the latest…

Microscopic wonder on yellow-bellied sea snake is a scientific breakthrough

Just as vastness induces awe, so there is wonder to be found in the miniscule. For Dr Roksana Majewska from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the North-West University (NWU), this is an absolute truth. Before we zoom in, we need to talk about Hydrophis platurus – or the more friendly sounding yellow-bellied sea snake. This…

New book on community engaged research sees the light

The North-West University (NWU), in partnership with Van Schaik Publishers, recently launched the book Community engagement research in South Africa - Methods, Theories, Histories and Practice. This book is a collaborative effort by three editors, well versed in community engaged research.

The three scholars, representing various…

Young LLD graduate is wise beyond his years

At the tender age of 25, Phemelo Theophilus Magau has completed a daunting challenge: he finished his Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree in just two years.

He was awarded his LLD in mercantile law during an autumn graduation ceremony at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus on 25 May 2022.

Phemelo’s PhD thesis was “A…

What a year for Christa Ramasimong

It has been a year in which highlight has succeeded highlight, in which one honour bestowed succeeded another. Christa Ramasimong is experiencing a time that will not only shape her future, but her very being. The character of the young woman is being moulded in a furnace fired by her resolve to succeed.  

This North-West University (…

NWU's Optentia appoints international health expert as extraordinary professor

Prof Doris Bohman, a registered nurse, nurse tutor and associate professor at the Department of Health, Blekinge Institute of Technology, in Sweden, was recently appointed as an extraordinary professor at the North-West University's (NWU’s) Optentia research unit. 

Dr Bohman holds a PhD in medical science and…

Study finds that unpaved roads increase air pollution

The burning of fossil fuels and industrial emissions are among the major sources of air pollution in South Africa. However, there are other sources that are found in residential areas, for example unpaved roads, of which there are plenty in low-income residential areas in South Africa.

Air pollution is one of the top environmental…

Study into environmentally friendly options to replace chemical fertilisers

Prompted by the high cost of chemicals fertilisers and their impact on the environment, a master’s student the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus, took on the challenge of searching for environmentally friendly options to replace or supplement chemical fertilisers.

Motlagomang Khantsi’s study titled “Determination and…