The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Lifestyle Diseases research niche area and Stadt Primary School hosted an International Child Health Day at Barolong Ratshidi Hall on 14 October 2022.

According to Prof Sonia Swanepoel, deputy vice-chancellor for community engagement and Mahikeng Campus operations, the purpose of the event was to raise awareness about lifestyle diseases and the prevalence thereof in primary schools of the North-West province.

By Onitretse Motingwa

“Little attention is given to the mental health of those affected by divorce,” says Dr Lebogang Philda Selahla, a North-West University (NWU) PhD alumnus.

Dr Selahla who recently obtained her PhD, conducted research on mental health issues of men and women who are affected by divorce. Her thesis is titled “Psychosocial predictors of the mental health of divorcees and efficacy of intervention”.

One of Mahikeng’s well-known journalists, Sosty Rammutla, received a BA communication degree during the North-West University (NWU) graduation ceremony on 11 October 2022 at the Mahikeng Campus.

Sosty says he is truly grateful and proud of this achievement.

“I would like to thank God for His grace, and I dedicate this qualification to my wife who stood by me, to my mother who has been my anchor all my life, and thirdly, to the man that gave me this opportunity in the first place – Prof Dan Kgwadi,” says Sosty.

The Drama Society on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus will be hosting a theatrical event on 20 October 2022 in the Great Hall.

The aim of this event is to showcase what the NWU Drama Society is all about. The society wants to make a long-term difference in the lives of students by addressing student life issues and bringing hope through their performances, and by encouraging students to develop their talents.

By Ontiretse Motingwa

Dineo Nakedi, a North-West University (NWU) transport economics honours graduate, conducted research on the need to establish efficient public transportation in non-metropolitan areas.

The title of her study is “Identifying the challenges faced by a commuter train in non-metropolitan areas with specific reference to Mahikeng”.

“It can be argued that the lack of commuter trains in non-metro areas negatively affects the mobility of daily commuters as it denies them access to various economic activities,” says Dineo.

According to Statistics South Africa, the demand for air transport has been increasing for the past decade in South Africa. This is due to an increase in physical activity and major economic development in different cities across the country.

North-West University (NWU) transport economics graduate Amantle Gaokgorwe investigated the determinants that authorities can look at to revive the Mahikeng Airport.

The North-West University (NWU) in collaboration with WATERnet and Baleware (Bridging Africa, Latin America, and Europe on Water and Renewable Energies Applications), is hosting an International Water-Climate Summer School from 4 to 18 October 2022.

The summer school is a hybrid, interactive, transdisciplinary event aimed at strengthening capacity to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 – “Ensure access to water and sanitation for all”, and SDG 13 – “Climate action”.

Khululwa Nosipho Shibane, North-West University (NWU) alumnus and an educator at Christinah School for the Blind and Partially Sighted, came second in the category Excellence in Special Needs Teaching in the North West provincial segment of the National Teaching Awards that took place on 7 October 2022.

This was not her first accolade. Khululwa also represented the Christiana School in 2020 in the same category at that year’s National Teaching Awards.

By Ontiretse Motingwa

Her hard work and perseverance have paid off – Refilwe Tsatsimpe, North-West University (NWU) alumnus and lecturer in the Faculty of Law on the Mahikeng Campus since 2019, was recently admitted to the high court.

Refilwe, who is from Itsoseng, a town near Mahikeng, says she wanted to pursue a career in law ever since she was a young girl, but unfortunately encountered several obstacles along the way.

On the 19th and 20th of September 2022, students from different faculties in the North-West University participated in the 1st Annual inter-faculty spelling bee competition.

The purpose of this event was to promote the different languages that are officially recognised in the NWU as well as to also ensure that the NWU brand also partakes in the language awareness, and to bring a chance to ensure that different faculties of the university are in one type of a competition that seeks to bring a sense of unity among the faculty and their student coordinators.