Newsroom - Potchefstroom Campus

Nepotism is stealing Africa’s future

  • Nepotism is not limited to isolated cases in Africa, but a trend throughout the continent.
  • Allowing nepotism practices through family, friends and those least qualified to occupy leadership positions is tantamount to stealing Africa’s future from its young generation.
  • The liberation movement of the 1960s has not succeeded in addressing nepotism successfully as we see today that the post-colonial project has failed to resolve many socio-economic issues.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently raised eyebrows – and elicited no shortage of critici

Submitted on Tue, 10/10/2023 - 10:00

Hamas attack on Isael: What does this mean for South Africa?

  • Crude oil prices are set to skyrocket after the attack on Israel.
  • Israel is going to retaliate with full force.
  • The attack has massive global implications.

On Saturday, 7 October, southern parts of Israel suffered a surprise attack on an unprecedented scale by Palestinian military group Hamas, leaving a wake of destruction, with more than 700 dead, thousands of injuries and a host of civilians taken hostage.

Israel’s response has been swift, with targeted air strikes in Gaza and talk of a ground incursion into the disputed region abounding. 

Submitted on Mon, 10/09/2023 - 14:21

Fortunate’s passion for herpetology takes him to Brazil

Postdoctoral researcher Fortunate Mafeta Phaka recently represented the North-West University (NWU) at the 10th Brazilian Herpetology Congress that took place in Porto Seguro.

This is the largest herpetology event in Brazil, bringing together researchers, students and professionals in the field to discuss the latest discoveries and trends. The event featured lectures, short courses, presentations, symposiums, exhibitions and much more.

Submitted on Mon, 10/09/2023 - 10:13

Academic to lead preclinical GLP toxicity hub for pharmaceuticals development

South Africa and the North-West University (NWU) are stepping up to develop the African continent’s capabilities to develop its own human vaccines.

The glaring disparities in vaccine access during the Covid-19 pandemic has led to South Africa taking significant strides to bridge the gap between the global north and the African continent's vaccine development needs.

Submitted on Thu, 10/05/2023 - 11:38

Forum explores originality and copyright challenges of AI-generated knowledge

The Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Humanities at the North-West University (NWU) jointly hosted the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Forum on the evening of Wednesday, 27 September.

The event centred around AI-generated knowledge and its implications for copyright, originality, and embodiment.

Submitted on Thu, 10/05/2023 - 10:52

SADiLaR researcher selected for Open Seeds OLS-8 cohort

A digital humanities researcher from the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) at the North-West University (NWU) has been selected for the next cohort of the Open Life Science (OLS) Open Seeds programme.

This is an international mentoring and training programme for early-stage researchers and young leaders interested in applying open principles in their work and becoming open science ambassadors in their communities.

Submitted on Thu, 10/05/2023 - 09:56

Digital upskilling in the spotlight at third DH-IGNITE regional event

The South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) at the North-West University (NWU) recently hosted another successful DH-IGNITE regional event at the Premier Hotel OR Tambo in Kempton Park.

Staff and students from various universities and participants from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the Human Sciences Research Council joined the three-day event.

Submitted on Thu, 10/05/2023 - 09:50

New Carpentries-certified instructor trainers to bolster digital skills in research

Two digital humanities researchers from the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) at the North-West University (NWU) have been included in The Carpentries' newest cohort of certified instructor trainers.

Following the completion of a 10-week long Train-the-Trainer course, Mmasibidi Setaka and Rooweither Mabuya are now certified to train and certify Carpentries instructors.

Submitted on Thu, 10/05/2023 - 08:36

In a struggling economy, market to Millennials or miss out

Their pockets help fuel our economy and their spending habits determine the success of many business endeavours. They were born between 1981 and 1996, they are called Millennials and, according to Prof Roland Goldberg from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the North-West University (NWU), retailers would be remiss to ignore their specific spending needs.

Submitted on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 08:38

Trio Joie de Vivre will perform “Joyful Dances” tonight

by Menziwa Msibi

Trio Joie de Vivre, consisting of three School of Music and Conservatory lecturers from the North-West University (NWU) will be performing their concert “Joyful Dances” during Aardklop.

The Concert will take place tonight 3 October at 19:30 in the School Music and Conservatory Hall.

Liesl van der Merwe plays the bassoon, André Oosthuizen the flute, and Catrien Wentink (the piano.

Submitted on Tue, 10/03/2023 - 14:17