• Severe teacher shortages, with tens of thousands of vacant posts, are destroying learning conditions.
• “Learners are being left defenceless in places meant to protect and nurture them.” – Dr Marelize Vergottini.
• “Without dedicated psychosocial support, these conditions will continue to hinder learning and jeopardise children’s futures.” – Dr Vergottini.

The Dusi Canoe Marathon is not for the faint-hearted. Known as one of South Africa’s toughest endurance races, it pushes paddlers to their limits with punishing portages, technical rapids, and the relentless heat of the valley. For North-West University (NWU) students Craig Cribbins and Ethan Kleu, the 2026 Dusi was more than just a race. It was a test of character, resilience, and heart.

At the North-West University (NWU), research is more than publishing, it is about transforming lives. This is the vision driving a team at the Centre for Human Metabolomics (CHM), where scientists developed a nanostar-based reagent that could revolutionise how rare diseases such as galactosemia are detected. The reagent promises significant advantages over conventional spherical gold nanoparticles, and demonstrates high sensitivity detection in biosensors, colorimetric assays, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and molecular diagnostics.

• By Prof. Joseph Sekhampu, chief director of the NWU Business School

In communities across the country, frustration is quietly building. What begins as a missed service or delayed response often grows into something deeper, a sense that the system meant to serve the people is no longer working for them. The failures of local government are no longer distant policy concerns or abstract debates. They are lived, daily realities, and for many, it is not just about the lack of services but about a loss of trust.

Prof. Pieter Kruger, director at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Centre for Health and Human Performance, opened his national cycling campaign with outstanding results in sprint and endurance events at the South African Track Cycling Championships. The event took place from 1 to 6 April 2026 at the Bellville Velodrome in Cape Town.

Prof. Kruger won gold in the 3 000 m Individual Pursuit, the 10 km Scratch Race and the 750 m Sprint Time Trial. His winning margin in the 750 m event was 0,3 seconds. He also took silver in the 1 500 m Individual Pursuit on the opening day.

• “As a country, we can only succeed if we adhere to the principles of transparency and accountability. Accounting professionals are the counterbalance to corruption.” – Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, Principal and Vice-Chancellor.
• “It is our duty to ensure that we deliver enough accounting professionals of the highest quality, with the ethical and leadership frameworks to stem the tide of corruption.” – Prof. Tyobeka.

The dream of bringing the Varsity Cup home came to a heartbreaking end for the NWU Eagles on Monday, 13 April, in Pretoria after they fell 31-3 short against a seasoned FNB UP-Tuks side in a sold-out final. A defeat at the rain-soaked Tuks Stadium will always be remembered as one that sparked pride and identity for the Eagles.

Alarm bells have been ringing about how artificial intelligence (AI) will replace certain, if not most, future jobs. But this fixation on job loss may be asking the wrong question. The real issue is not whether AI will take jobs; it is about who controls AI and how it will be used.

The North-West University (NWU), through its Centre for Health Professions Education (CHPE), recently played a key role in a major continental initiative to strengthen the quality of health professions education across Africa.