The benefits from widespread and equitable access to information and communications technologies (ICTs) in South Africa are touted as having the potential to change the course and trajectory of this country for the better.

Researchers at the North-West University (NWU) share this view and are adamant that schools can serve as a base from which to address the growing digital divide, particularly between well-resourced and impoverished schools.

By Phenyo Mokgothu and Mafumane Tlhapi

The North-West University (NWU) GoAllOut and Golden Key student chapters on its Mahikeng Campus attempted the Guinness World Record for the longest line of sanitary pads on 25 March 2023.

Spanning a distance of 6 km, a total of 60 000 pads were laid in line to advocate against period poverty. This attempt has now been sent to Guinness World Records to evaluate.

North-West University (NWU) alumnus Berlina Lekgethwane could very well be the next Mrs South Africa.

She has recently entered the 2023 competition and has advanced to the semi-finals.

Berlina, who was born and bred in Ramokokastad in the Phadi village, graduated from the NWU's Mahikeng Campus with a BA in communications and an honours degree in social sciences psychology. She also holds a master's degree in business administration from Mancosa and is currently pursuing another master's degree in public administration from the same institution.

North-West University academic and researcher Prof Lebo Gafane-Matemane recently attended the 14th HOPE Meeting with Nobel Laureates from 27 February to 3 March 2023 in Tsukuba City, Japan.

She was nominated by the National Research Foundation (NRF), together with Dr Ncediwe Ndube-Tsolekile from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

The HOPE meetings have been organised by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) since 2008, aiming to advance science and technology in the Asia-Pacific and Africa region.

North-West University (NWU) academic at the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Centre, Prof Adeyemi Oladapo Aremu, has been inaugurated as the president of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) during the annual SAAB conference that took place at the University of Limpopo earlier this year.

He will serve as president from January 2023 to January 2025.

Prof Aremu says he is honoured to lead the SAAB. “Given the rich history of the SAAB and its impact on society, I am sincerely grateful to SAAB members and the council for trusting me with this important job.

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Centre has once again teamed up with the Department of Science and Innovation and Prof Mziwoxolo Mzo Sirayi, an adjunct professor from Nelson Mandela University, to develop a one-of-its-kind indigenous knowledge-led smart village in Nyandeni in the Eastern Cape.

Article by Phenyo Mokgothu and Mafumane Tlhapi

The North-West University (NWU) GoAllOut organisation’s student chapter will attempt a Guinness World Record for the longest line of sanitary pads, spanning a distance of 4 km to 6 km.

The attempt will take place on 25 March at the Great Hall on the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus, and will see students taking part in making a line spanning up to 6 km with 60 000 sanitary pads.

Women around the globe continue to face challenges in accessing decent work opportunities and gender equality, while contending with gender-based violence and a myriad of other exclusionary practices.

This was the recurring theme during International Women’s Day commemorations on 8 March 2023, hosted by the North-West University (NWU) in partnership with the national Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities.

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus can now house more students on campus thanks to the new student housing project.

During registration 1 404 beds were ready for occupation.

This is in addition to 324 beds that were made available at the beginning of the 2022 academic year, which makes a total of 1 788 new beds.

The extra student housing was made possible through a partnership with the Department of Higher Education and Training, which identified the need for additional student housing on the campus.

North-West University (NWU) master’s student in economics Sphesihle Thusini was announced second runner-up in the postgraduate category of the 2022 Nedbank & Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition and walked away with R50 000.

For the 2022 competition, postgraduates were asked to submit an essay, evaluating the impact of public infrastructure investment on economic growth based on South Africa's post-2000 experience. They were also asked to discuss this impact on the prospects for economic growth in the medium term.