Keaoleboga Motshabi

The North-West University (NWU) Eagles Aerobics team has qualified for the national championships of the South African Sport Aerobics Fitness and Hip-hop Federation (SASAFF). This comes after their recent showing at the provincial championships held at the Kagiso Community Centre in Krugersdorp, Gauteng, on 10 and 11 May 2025.

As the African continent marks Africa Month Africa Day on 25 May, a remarkable story of cultural resilience and leadership is unfolding in the North West Province.

Khumo Feni, a graduate from the first cohort of the Bachelor of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (B.IKS) programme at the North-West University (NWU), is taking centre stage in the documentation and preservation of Batswana indigenous knowledge systems (IKS).

By Gofaone Motsamai

Years of study, fieldwork and reflection have culminated in a book that combines experience and policy on a touchy subject in South Africa, housing.

Dr Salphinah Vuloyimuni Ubisi, a lecturer in the subject group Public Administration and Local Government at the North-West University (NWU), described how her work had evolved into a project that reconnected her with her heritage during a seminar on 15 May.

South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini need to work towards stabilising their political environments and improving governance to create a better climate for business and trade.

“Political stability is crucial for trade,” says Dr Mpho Lenoke, recent PhD graduate and a lecturer in the subject group Economics at the North-West University (NWU). “When governments prioritise stability, they make room for economic growth.”

Phenyo Mokgothu and Keaoleboga Motshabi

“I built this department from the ground up – and now I return to see the seeds have grown into a forest.” These were the heartfelt words of Prof Jamshid Moori as the North-West University (NWU) celebrated his legacy and his 80th birthday during a special mathematics conference held in his honour at the Mahikeng Campus.

When the night shift begins at Life Peglerae Hospital in Rustenburg, Hudson Mothupi is already at work, not just supervising 16 hospital units, but also ensuring systems hold firm through medical emergencies, power outages and the other demands of overnight care.

This behind-the-scenes leadership has earned the North-West University (NWU) alumnus a place among Life Healthcare’s Great 100 Nurses for 2025.

Can a digital platform save a language from fading away?

A recent study by Phenyo Mokgothu, a master's graduate and communication practitioner with the North-West University (NWU), has shown that digital community newspapers can indeed preserve language and culture, even in the shifting landscape of online media.

When as many as 464 public schools in South Africa have elected to stop offering pure mathematics, the question is no longer about underperformance in mathematics, it is about absence.

While most of these schools still teach mathematics literacy, pure mathematics underpins engineering, science and certain types of problem-solving. When that subject is missing from the school curriculum, the long-term impact on learners and the economy is cause for concern.

Unpredictable rainfall and rising temperatures are threatening crop production across Southern Africa. A groundbreaking discovery by a North-West University (NWU) researcher could pave the way for stronger, more resilient crops capable of withstanding harsh weather and environmental stress.

Dr Moichwanetse Tsholofelo, who recently earned her PhD in biology, led the study which identified a unique plant protein that boosts stress resistance and helps plants maintain vital internal balance during extreme conditions.

Young South African boxers competing in the African Boxing Confederation’s (AFBC’s) Youth Championships in Conakry, Guinea, could not be in better hands. Their team manager is Keorapetse Mashimo, an alumnus of the North-West University (NWU).

Keorapetse completed his BEd degree at the Mahikeng Campus.

A seasoned boxing referee and administrator, he is managing the South African youth men’s and women's boxing team competing in Guinea from 16 to 26 May.

Besides Keorapetse, the team consists of three female and seven male boxers, alongside two coaches.