The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus recently hosted a breakfast briefing at the Big Lapa, gathering professionals, academics and aspiring chartered accountants for a morning brimming with engagement, insight and inspiration.

Organised in collaboration with the prestigious South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), the “double-shot” breakfast briefing session was far from ordinary. It masterfully fused two pressing conversations shaping the professional landscape of today: the looming threat of cyber risk and the art of career development.

The office of the deputy dean for teaching and learning in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences recently hosted a dynamic Entrepreneurship Breakfast themed “Ideas Without Borders” across all three North-West University (NWU) campuses.

The event brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including lecturers, academic staff and institutional partners from various faculties, creating a vibrant platform for dialogue on embedding entrepreneurship in the university environment.

An opinion piece by Dr Lesiba Tumishang Ledwaba, deputy director of the School of Social Sciences and a senior lecturer in History at the NWU.

The brutal massacre of Sharpeville residents by racist, trigger-happy apartheid policemen on 21 March 1960 continues to be a part of societal discourse that highlights apartheid hegemony that was cemented and immensely reliant on extreme violence for its existence and unjustified longevity.

The North-West University (NWU) bhive Early Development Centre (EDC) on the Vanderbijlpark Campus recently came alive with activity when it hosted an engaging early childhood development (ECD) training session for members of the Vaal United Business Forum (VUBF).

Twenty-eight-year-old Kamohelo Zwane, a former chairperson of the Student Representative Council (SRC) at the Vanderbijlpark Campus of the North-West University (NWU), an honours degree holder and now an administrator on the Vanderbijlpark Campus, is on a mission to change lives.

With the launch of the Amukeleni Youth Development Organisation, Kamohelo aims to empower South Africans from all walks of life – whether formally educated or not – to pursue their dreams, reclaim lost opportunities and realise their full potential.

The Riverside Hotel in Vanderbijlpark recently buzzed with intellectual energy as academics, students, policymakers and thought leaders from across Africa gathered for the North-West University (NWU) Trio Conference on Afrocentric Governance, Multilingualism and Transformation.

Over three days, participants from South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Malawi and Lesotho and beyond convened to reimagine the development of Africa through an Afrocentric lens – grounded in indigenous knowledge, African languages and cultural values.

At a time when artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping higher education, Prof. Liandi van den Berg is helping lead the way in rethinking how universities assess student learning. Her work, recently featured in the Digital Education Council (DEC) Best Practices Collection, highlights a forward-thinking approach that is gaining global recognition.

In the true spirit of Human Rights Day, students from Faranani Residence at the North-West University (NWU) turned reflection into action through a heartfelt community outreach initiative in Sharpeville on 21 March. Led by student leaders, the programme focused on restoring dignity, promoting equality, and supporting access to basic needs for young learners from disadvantaged backgrounds.

• An opinion piece by Prof. Koketso Matlakala, Prof. Hanelie Malan and Dr Lucé Pretorius

A person sits across from a social worker, struggling to articulate the confusion of the past few hours. Sometimes the crisis follows an act of violence. At other times it is the result of weeks or months of emotional strain that have gradually become unbearable. By the time individuals reach this point, they are often carrying far more than the immediate event.

Prof. Re-an Müller, deputy director of the School of Management Sciences at the North-West University (NWU), delivered a compelling public lecture at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) as part of its 60-year celebrations.

Hosted by the Department of Marketing, Retail Business and Sport Management in the Faculty of Management Sciences, the lecture formed part of the theme “VUT beyond 60 years: inclusive sports as a catalyst for social change”.