As the 2023 Men's Varsity Football competition reaches its pinnacle, the North-West University (NWU) Eagles are gearing up for a crucial showdown against the log leaders, the University of Johannesburg (UJ), in the first semi-final.

The highly anticipated match is set to take place at the UJ Soweto Stadium in Johannesburg on 14 September.

The NWU Eagles, currently holding the fourth position on the league table, have had a season marked by ups and downs. With seven matches played, they secured three wins, and two draws, and suffered two losses.

The new Covid-19 subvariant EG.5 – also known as Eris – has made its way into South Africa with the first case reported in Gauteng in mid-August.

This after it crossed the borders of China, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, Portugal and Spain.

Dr Hazel Mufhandu, senior lecturer and virologist at the North-West University (NWU), tells us more about Eris.

Kealeboga Pule, a North-West University (NWU) alumnus and LLB graduate, has gracefully woven his creative brilliance into the fabric of the Miss South Africa pageant.

As managing director and co-founder of Nungu Diamonds, Kealeboga’s design excellence is responsible for crafting the dazzling new Miss South Africa crown that has captured the nation's imagination.

By Menziwa Msibi

Prof Boitumelo Mmusinyane from the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Law has been shortlisted as one of eight candidates for the position of public protector of South Africa.

The candidates were shortlisted on 26 July by the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee who is tasked with appointing a replacement for Busisiwe Mkhwebane.

By Nolwazi Xulu

Mapule Sechogo, a former North-West University student and first-time entrant in the National Teachers Awards recently defied the odds when she won the Excellence in Primary School Teaching category at the awards ceremony held at the Naledi Local Education Office of the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality.

“It was my first time participating in the prestigious National Teachers Awards, and to my delight, I was announced top performer in this category,” she said.

North-West University (NWU) academic Prof Oladapo Aremu recently received the Economic Botany Excellence Award (EBEA) at the joint conference of the Society for Economic Botany (SEB) and the Society of Ethnobiology at Emory University Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

The EBEA – also called the Mid-Career Excellence Award – is made annually to an individual whose early career has substantially advanced economic botany or ethnobotany by teaching, publishing, or practical work.

By Phenyo Mokgothu and Nolwazi Xulu

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Law, in collaboration with the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights, hosted a guest lecture titled “Restitution of Land Rights in South Africa” on 25 May 2025. The lecture was presented in a hybrid format, with the physical event taking place on the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus.

The keynote speaker at the lecture was Nomfundo Ntloko, chief land claims commissioner in South Africa.

North-West University (NWU) academic at the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Centre, Prof Adeyemi Oladapo Aremu, has been inaugurated as the president of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) during the annual SAAB conference that took place at the University of Limpopo earlier this year.

He will serve as president from January 2023 to January 2025.

Prof Aremu says he is honoured to lead the SAAB. “Given the rich history of the SAAB and its impact on society, I am sincerely grateful to SAAB members and the council for trusting me with this important job.

Article by Phenyo Mokgothu and Mafumane Tlhapi

The North-West University (NWU) GoAllOut organisation’s student chapter will attempt a Guinness World Record for the longest line of sanitary pads, spanning a distance of 4 km to 6 km.

The attempt will take place on 25 March at the Great Hall on the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus, and will see students taking part in making a line spanning up to 6 km with 60 000 sanitary pads.

North-West University (NWU) student Onalenna Mongale was announced the North West Sportsman of the Year during the North West Provincial Government’s 7th Provincial Sports Awards that took place on 18 February 2023. Onalenna represented South Africa at the International University Sports Federation

(FISU) University Combat Sport - Karate Competition in Turkey last year. Onalenna competed in the Individual Kumite and ranked sixth out of about 22 athletes in his division.