By Mafumane Tlhapi and Phenyo Mokgothu

The North-West University (NWU) mourns the passing of Mme Grace Masuku, an expert in indigenous knowledge systems. She was honoured with the NWU Chancellor Award in 2013.

Nkoko Grace Masuku was laid to rest on 18 June 2023, in her village of Lekutung near Moruleng in Rustenburg, North West. The 91-year-old indigenous knowledge holder and practitioner, a former principal and respected elder of the Bakgatla baa Kgafela Royal family, passed away on 12 June 2023.

Manketsi Emily Tlhape, former member of the executive committee (MEC) of North West and current member of the South African national parliament, received her PhD in economic management science with business administration from the North-West University (NWU) on 21 June 2023.

Manketsi's thesis, titled “Development of a strategic management framework for communal property associations in South Africa,” focused on the sustainability of communal property association enterprises.

Prof Elias Munapo from the North-West University (NWU) is a National Research Foundation- (NRF-) rated researcher – not a simple achievement for academics with major teaching and supervisory obligations.

His research interests are the use of mathematics and statistics in business. In 2022 he obtained his first C3 rating as a researcher. He joined the NWU in 2016 and feels that the path to an NRF rating is a contentious subject that is determined by an academic's preferences.

Two researchers from the North-West University (NWU) have received a special grant that will boost their collaborative research nationally and internationally.

North-West University (NWU) alumnus Refiloe Mohono collaborated in establishing a shoe and foot care brand known as Complete Comfort.

This brand offers three sprays designed specifically for shoes and foot care.

The flagship product of Complete Comfort is a natural antifungal, antibacterial and antiseptic shoe and foot spray. It effectively reduces sweat, eliminates odours from shoes and feet, and treats nail fungus, foot diabetes and athlete's foot.

Elvis Moyo, North-West University (NWU) final-year PhD candidate in applied radiation sciences, has been selected as part of the Ju-Jitsu national team that is set to participate in the World Morganti Ju-Jitsu championship. The championship will take place in Brazil on 23 October 2023.

Elvis earned his place in the national team after competing in the South African national championships earlier this year. He competed in the higher division, which was open only to black and brown belts. Despite facing stiff competition, Elvis emerged victorious and won a gold medal.

By Menziwa Msibi

The subject group Chemistry at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus hosted the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Sasol Foundation during a visit on 2 June 2023.

The purpose of this visit was to reinforce the visiting parties’ commitment to support and enhance research capabilities by providing scholarships for honours, master’s, and PhD students.

Prof Rojanette Coetzee, an academic at the North-West University’s (NWU's) Faculty of Engineering, recently established a research forum that will use industrial engineering methods to help farmers.

Assisted by research assistants Herme Nel and Jorinda Marais, the Industrial Engineering in Agriculture (IE@Agri) Forum aims to apply industrial engineering techniques to address the everyday challenges faced by farmers, organisations, and the agricultural value chain.

The Covid-19 pandemic left nothing but devastation in its wake, and the higher-education sector was not spared. This is the conclusion drawn in a new book titled Higher Education in the Face of a Global Pandemic, co-edited by Prof Petronella Jonck from the North-West University (NWU) and Prof Emnet Tadesse Woldegiorgis from the University of Johannesburg (UJ).

By:Phenyo Mokgothu and Nolwazi Xulu

North-West University (NWU) principal and vice-chancellor, Prof Bismark Tyobeka, shared his experiences and insights from his first year at the university during a media networking session on 31 May 2023 at the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus.

The primary objective of the networking session was to provide local media with the latest updates on the university's strategic developments.