By Gofaone Motsamai and Mzwandile Ndlovu

Once played in dusty village yards and open fields where laughter echoed and children learned teamwork through play, indigenous games used to be at the heart of African childhood. Today, many of those games - from morabaraba and diketo to mmela and ntimo - are fading from memory, overshadowed by modern sports. But at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus, those forgotten rhythms came alive again as the institution hosted its first-ever Indigenous Games Varsity Tournament.

“Community engagement connects learning with life,” said Vincent Russell, Assistant Professor and Liberal Studies Program Coordinator in the Department of Communication at Western Carolina University. He presented a talk to the North-West University (NWU) employees on the role of engagement in teaching and research and its impact on academic careers.

By Phenyo Mokgothu and Gofaone Motsamai

Veteran broadcaster Tim Modise returned to Mahikeng, where his media career began, to deliver a public lecture on the evolving role of broadcast media in shaping South Africa’s cultural identity.

Gosego Phutieagae and Phenyo Mokgothu

If young people take ownership of their linguistic future, they can ensure that the internet becomes multilingual. This call to action to the youth was made during the North-West University’s (NWU’s) 2025 Language Awareness Week.

Two North-West University (NWU) football players were recognised for their performance in the 2025 Varsity Football tournament, taking home major individual honours and contributing significantly to the team’s competitive campaign.

Goalkeeper Ethan Mokwena won the Cashbuild Golden Glove award and the official Goalkeeper of the Tournament prize, which included a trophy and a monetary reward. Team captain Aphelele Sibisi was named FNB Player of the Tournament, receiving a R10 000 prize.

One of the most influential figures in South Africa’s higher education history, Prof John William Mokone Makhene, was the guest of honour at a high-profile colloquium hosted recently by the North-West University (NWU).

The colloquium, held at the Mmabatho Palms Hotel in Mahikeng on 3 October, had the theme “Academic leadership as a catalyst for transformative change”. It was an apt reminder that visionary leadership can shape entire generations.

By Mzwandile Ndlovu

In a tough job market, success in finding employment takes skills, strategy and professionalism. Final-year language students at the North-West University (NWU) honed their post-university preparations during a work-readiness workshop hosted by the School of Language Practice in collaboration with Career Services on the Mahikeng Campus.

By Gofaone Motsamai

The decolonisation of higher education curricula will not happen overnight. In the words of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Prof Mpho Chaka, it is a “continuous multifaceted journey that involves questioning colonialism’s deep-rooted impacts on the way knowledge is produced and shared”.

Prof Chaka, deputy dean for teaching and learning in the Faculty of Humanities, was speaking at the faculty’s 2025 Teaching and Learning Colloquium, held at the Royal Marang Hotel in Rustenburg from 9 to 11 September.

Sound financial practices alone do not guarantee strong academic results, says a study by North-West University (NWU) postgraduate student Bongani Steven Dhlamini.

His research, titled “The Contribution of Effective Financial School Management to Quality Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools”, examined how financial management influences education outcomes.