Institutional News

Kick-offs to final whistles: NWU Staff Wellness games deliver non-stop action

There is always something special about seeing colleagues outside the boardroom, offices and lecture halls while swapping shoes for sneakers with whistles blowing instead of the ping of an incoming email.

On 15 August 2025, staff members from across all three campuses of the North-West University (NWU) came together for the annual Staff Wellness Tournament.

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Radiation expert wants SA to benefit from his radiological crime scene management training

South Africa’s capacity to deal with incidents involving radioactive materials has received a boost. North-West University (NWU) academic Dr Tebogo Kupi has returned from Austria where he attended a high-level international training course aimed at preparing experts to deliver national workshops on radiological crime scene management.

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Alumnus Andries van Heerden leads Afrimat in mining and industrial expansion

North-West University (NWU) alumnus Andries van Heerden is the chief executive officer of Afrimat Limited, a JSE-listed company that supplies iron ore, anthracite, phosphate, construction materials and industrial minerals across Southern Africa.

“I started as a first-year mechanical engineering student in Potchefstroom in 1984,” he recalls. His studies took him to the NWU’s Vaal Campus, where he graduated in 1988.

Reflecting on his time at university, he says: “I think my dream to become a successful entrepreneur was really born during the two years in Vanderbijlpark.”

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Grace, growth and thriving embody the spirit of Women’s Day

In celebration of Women’s Month, the North-West University (NWU) hosted a vibrant and thought-provoking Women’s Day celebration on Friday, 8 August 2025 under the theme “Personal branding – Leadership branding master class”.

Held at the Mahikeng Campus and livestreamed to the Potchefstroom and Vanderbijlpark campuses, the hybrid event focused on empowering women through leadership, branding and growth.

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Being fully present with and for a patient restores wholeness

Ideal Healthcare is not only about treating patients but also about being fully present for and with them. This notion was at the heart of an inaugural lecture delivered at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Potchefstroom Campus on 8 August 2025.

Prof Tinda Rabie from the Faculty of Health Sciences presented her lecture titled “Can the light of presence in caring still shine in the health profession through wise and guiding healthcare providers? Absolutely!”

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NWU netball gears up for Varsity showdown with eyes on glory

The countdown is almost over, and the opening game of the 2025 Varsity Netball tournament is set for this Sunday, 24 August at the Maties Coetzenburg Indoor Centrein University of Stellenbosch against Varsity College at 15:00.

The North-West University (NWU) team will be stepping onto the court with more than just ambition; they are bringing months of strategising and training into the competition.

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Dr Petronella Lunda has been elected to lead SOMSA North West

Dr Petronella Lunda, a maternal and neonatal expert from the North-West University (NWU) Faculty of Health Sciences, was elected as president of the Society of Midwives of South Africa (SOMSA) North West. Dr Lunda was honoured with this prestigious position at the 19th SOMSA Congress held at the OR Tambo Premier Hotel in Kempton Park from 13 to 14 August.

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Our war on plastic delivers results

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) stand against plastic pollution, launched in 2023, has evolved into an institutionalised environmental policy and the results speak for themselves.

In the first six months of 2025, the NWU recycled 140,6 tons of campus waste, including 36 tons of single-use plastic. This reflects reduced plastic bottle consumption and increased recycling efforts prompted by the initiatives, according to Percy Sehaole, specialist in environmental management and coordinator of the campaign against plastic waste.

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