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.

Her transformative leadership through her editorship of the Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal stands as a beacon of achievement in the vision and mission of the North-West University (NWU) to be a pre-eminent university in Africa. Her achievements in legal academia and journal development have earned Prof Christa Rautenbach the NWU Chancellor’s Medal.

She received this honour during a graduation ceremony on 6 June. The Chancellor’s Medal is awarded to people who show exceptional merit or have made significant contributions to society.

The principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), Prof Bismark Tyobeka, will lead a high-level academic delegation on a strategic international mission to Brazil and Peru from 8 to 20 June 2025. The visit forms part of the ongoing efforts by the NWU to deepen international academic collaboration and broaden its global engagement.

Data is the new gold in the digital age and data-driven decision-making is widely used in sectors from banking and finance to the law and telecommunications.

The North-West University (NWU) Centre for Business Mathematics and Informatics (CBMI), which is highly regarded across data-driven industries, hosted the 2025 Business Mathematics and Informatics (BMI) Prestige Awards to honour students whose academic performance and industry-focused research stood out across its BMI programme.

On Friday, 16 May, a significant contribution to environmental science was made with the release of a new book, Aquatic Parasitology – Ecological and Environmental Concepts and Implications of Marine and Freshwater Parasites. Co-edited by Prof Nico Smit from the North-West University (NWU) and Prof Bernd Sures from the University of Duisburg-Essen, the book takes a deep dive into the overlooked role of parasites in aquatic ecosystems.

South Africa should invest more in nuclear research if it wishes to remain globally competitive and fulfil its responsibility to meet the diverse needs of its communities. This was Professor Machaba Michael “Mike” Sathekge’s message when he received his honorary doctorate in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Philosophiae Doctor, Honoris Causa) from the North-West University (NWU) on Wednesday 4 June.

By Gofaone Motsamai

The road from Kagiso, where she sold second-hand clothing under the scorching Gauteng sun, to the lecture halls of North-West University (NWU) was long, bumpy and deeply personal for Dr Salphinah Vuloyimuni Ubisi.

Now a senior lecturer in the subject group Public Administration and Local Government at the NWU, Dr Ubisi’s story began in hardship and determination. “The money generated from selling old clothes became my main source of income and this provided the core finance for my studies.”.

The countdown has begun. On Tuesday afternoon at precisely 12:46, Prof Bismark Tyobeka, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), turned the first sod at the Potchefstroom Campus construction site of the NWU Desmond Tutu School of Medicine.

This ceremonial gesture marked the official commencement of construction of South Africa’s 11th medical school, with the first cohort of students expected to enrol in 2028.

The implementation of the recently approved strategy of the North-West University (NWU) is starting to show positive results. The strategy – Taking the NWU forward: 2024 and beyond – prioritises, among other things, internationalisation, partnerships and impact. Consequently, the NWU now ranks in the top 4,1% of universities worldwide. This is according to the 2025 edition of the outcome-based Global 2000 list by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR). The CWUR published the latest ranking on 2 June.

In a country where the number of female academics specialising in occupational hygiene is exceptionally small, the North-West University (NWU) stands out as a national and continental leader.

Of the only eight known female academics in South Africa with a specialised focus in this field, an astounding five are based at the NWU. This speaks volumes about the university’s commitment to advancing occupational hygiene and promoting female academic leadership in a historically male-dominated discipline.