South Africa’s rising sprint star, Chardoné Karla Smidt, made her mark on the world stage recently as she competed in the 4x100 m relay at the prestigious Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games in Germany.

Representing her country with speed, poise and pride, Smidt was backed every step of the way by her home institution – the North-West University (NWU) Vanderbijlpark Campus.

Chardoné, a 19-year-old BCom student majoring in business operations and logistics management, described the experience as “unreal.”

Information Technology Security and music composition are not as far removed from each other as they might seem. Ask Bonolo Phiri, North-West University alumna.

By Phenyo Mokgothu and Gofaone Motsamai

In yet another impressive show of strength, the bodybuilding team from the North-West University (NWU) has won the Bodybuilding Championships of University Sports South Africa (USSA) for the second consecutive year.

The 280-strong team successfully defended their title against athletes from nine other universities participating in the competition, held on 28 June 2025 at Durban University of Technology in Pietermaritzburg.

A law librarian from the North-West University (NWU) will represent South Africa on an international stage later this year after securing a travel grant to attend a global legal information conference in the United States.

Maropene Thomas Ramabina, faculty librarian for law at the NWU’s Vanderbijlpark Campus, is the recipient of the Non-Member Grant from the International Association of Law Libraries (IALL). The grant, worth up to US$3 000, will support his participation at the 43rd Annual Conference of the IALL in Houston, Texas, from 19 to 23 October 2025.

For years, the bodybuilding team of the Vanderbijlpark Campus of the North-West University (NWU) has been a consistent force, never dropping out of the top three at the University Sports South Africa (USSA) Bodybuilding Championships.

2025 was no different, as they once again showcased their class at the USSA Bodybuilding and CrossFit Championships hosted by the Durban University of Technology in Pietermaritzburg on 28 June.

The North-West University’s (NWU) Vanderbijlpark Campus burst into life on June 16 as it welcomed back former students, staff, and community partners for its inaugural Alumni and Friends Sports Fun Day. The event, held on Youth Day, blended athletic energy with heartfelt reconnection, marking a new chapter in alumni engagement through the unifying power of sport.

In commemoration of History Month, the School of Social Sciences at the Vanderbijlpark Campus of the North-West University (NWU), in collaboration with its community partner, Vaal HiRAI, hosted a poignant community engagement seminar under the theme “Remembering Sharpeville”. Attended by 36 participants, the seminar served as a powerful reflection on the importance of historical memory and the role of public history in community identity.

When the 2025 Comrades Marathon kicked off on Sunday, 8 June, Benjamin Tjiane was running more than just the 90-odd kilometres between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. He was pursuing a goal that had started during the Covid-19 lockdowns. What began as a personal challenge has evolved into something much deeper.

“My first race was 21 km in 2019. After Covid-19, I challenged myself to run 42 and 50 km races, which were qualifying criteria for the Comrades," Benjamin remembers, “and that is how I started running Comrades marathons, realising I have endurance."

In a heartwarming and triumphant celebration of perseverance, passion, and purpose, the Ch@s peer helpers from the North-West University’s Vanderbijlpark Campus made an unforgettable mark during the May 2025 graduation ceremonies. But this was not just any graduation story — this was a victory parade for a group of student leaders whose impact reached far beyond academics.

The School for Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management at the North-West University (NWU) recently hosted a highly successful International Week Symposium, spearheaded by Prof Bouwer Jonker.

This two-day hybrid event underscored the university’s commitment to internationalisation, academic excellence, and the development of globally competent human resources and industrial psychology professionals.