The annual Beer and Cheese Day, hosted by the School of Chemical and Minerals Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the North-West University (NWU), is more than just a social gathering – it is a way to ignite the students’ creativity and entrepreneurial spirits.

The School of Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (NWU) successfully hosted the first ever Global People Practices Conference (GPPC).

This marked a significant step towards fostering critical discourse, academic collaboration and innovation in human resource management, industrial psychology, labour relations management and human resource development.

A lively panel of experts provided a critical analysis of Minister Enoch Godongwana's Budget address during the Pitso 2025.4 discussion of the North-West University (NWU) Business School. These experts advocated for significant changes to the way South Africa creates and oversees its national budget, calling for transparency and accountability in policymaking.

The discussion was moderated by columnist Khaya Sithole, and the other speakers were political scientist Prince Mashele and economist Prof Jannie Rossouw from the University of the Witwatersrand.

The academic workplace is no longer defined by shared offices and hallway conversations. As hybrid work becomes the norm, one researcher argues that the shift may be eroding the very ties that keep academic communities functioning.

“Academics are often isolated in their work, and hybrid work has amplified that,” said Dr Rudo Rachel Marozva, a recent NWU PhD graduate, whose new study examined how reduced in-person contact weakened social infrastructure in universities. “Even though we meet online, something gets lost. It’s harder to feel part of a team.”

· African nations must build their own research capacity, rather than relying solely on Western institutions and donors.

· Africa remains largely overlooked in HIV sequencing research, despite bearing the greatest burden.

· It is time for Africa to reclaim agency over its health future.

· Global HIV research is biased towards the West: 54% of studies focus on just 12% of the virus.

· Ignoring HIV diversity could trigger the next pandemic, scientists warn.

Prof Rose Hayeshi, director of the Preclinical Drug Development Platform (PCDDP) at the North-West University (NWU), has been accepted into the Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellowship of the Gates Foundation. The Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellowship focuses on bringing together accomplished innovators to form a community of global health opinion shapers and influencers.

Is a political heavyweight stepping back into the boxing ring? Helen Zille, the current Chairperson of the Federal Council of the Democratic Alliance (DA), former leader of the DA, former Mayor of Cape Town and Premier of the Western Cape, is considering running for Mayor of Johannesburg.

Zille is known as a formidable political pugilist, and the revelation that she is considering a run to take charge of South Africa’s largest city and its undisputed economic hub, has caused a stir of some magnitude.

In the damp, grassy slopes of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, an unassuming amphibian has leapt into the scientific spotlight. Named Breviceps batrachophiliorum – Latin for ‘frog-loving people’ – this newly described species of rain frog is a triumph of taxonomy and a compelling example of the intersection of citizen science and academic rigour.

Comrades Marathon superstar Tete Dijana went supernova on Sunday 8 June when he won his third Comrades Marathon, following back-to-back victories in 2022 and 2023.

Dijana is an employee of Mi7, which is an external security service provider to the North-West University (NWU), and his reassuring presence on the Mahikeng Campus has made him a beloved member of the NWU family.

It was a stellar performance from Dijana who completed the 98.98 km distance from Pietermaritzburg to Durban in a time of five hours, 25 minutes and 28 seconds.

Refilwe Ngwaku hails from the humble dusty streets of Soweto, where she believes that there are few role models. From a young age, her dream was to be different, to become the change she wanted to see. Her goal was to show that success can come from any background.

Refilwe can still picture the school corridor where, as a primary school learner in Dobsonville, Soweto, she saw a group of older students wearing t-shirts that read “Kutlwanong ProMaths”. It wasn’t the clothing that struck her – it was what the words stood for.