By Prof Joseph Sekhampu

For millions of South Africans, the struggle for water, electricity or safety has become routine. The queues for basic services grow longer, while those in power grow richer. It feels like chaos, yet what if this dysfunction is not a sign of failure, but evidence of how the state now works? The revelations from the Madlanga Commission remind us that what we call crisis may, in truth, be design.

The Technology Transfer and Innovation Support (TTIS) office of the North-West University (NWU) recently hosted the IP Creators Celebration to honour researchers and academics who strive to create impact from innovation.

The event recognised staff and students who have, over the past three years, since the last event, submitted IP disclosures to TTIS on their innovative research addressing real-world problems.

• “The future of Africa depends on ethical leaders who can guide their institutions through the complex intersection of technology, knowledge, and justice,” says Prof Linda du Plessis.

• “African leaders must evolve beyond political or institutional authority to become visionary stewards of digital transformation with an unwavering commitment to ethical and inclusive innovation.”

• “One of the greatest challenges for African higher education leaders is navigating political pressure while safeguarding academic freedom.”

What happens in the lab should not stay there. That was the central message from Prof Anja Franken of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Health Sciences, who used her inaugural lecture to argue that occupational health research must move beyond academic journals and into workplaces where it can save lives.

“Research must not remain in journals and laboratories,” Prof Franken said on 19 September 2025. “Like a baton, it must be passed from theory into training, from data into decisions, from experience into education.”

The School of Psychosocial Health at the North-West University (NWU) hosted the second Social Workers in Schools (SWIS) International Conference from 10 to 12 September on the Vanderbijlpark Campus of the NWU. The first international conference was held in the United Kingdom during 2024, and the conference in South Africa was the very first of its kind in the country. The conference brought together practitioners, researchers, scholars, teachers and policymakers to share insights and create solutions for learners.

Dr Sabelilie Tenza, a patient safety expert at North-West University (NWU), led a powerful conversation about strengthening patient safety and healthcare in Africa at the recent Quality Management and Patient Safety – Reimagined Forum, which was held at the WHX Labs in Cape Town.

Hosted in partnership with the Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA), the forum aimed to find solutions to create a culture in which families and communities play an active role in safety and care.

By Jalize Fourie

The Faculty of Humanities at North-West University (NWU) took a bold step into the future of research and innovation with the official launch of its Centre for Digital Humanities (CDH) on Friday, 19 September, at the Riverside Sun Hotel in Vanderbijlpark.

By Gofaone Motsamai

Thirty years ago, South Africans gathered around negotiation tables to confront a painful history and chart a democratic future. It was a time of uncertainty, but also of hope, as political enemies discovered the power of dialogue to dismantle apartheid and build a Constitution admired across the world.

On 19 September 2025, that same spirit of engagement was revisited when the North-West University (NWU) Business School hosted an online Pitso discussion on “South Africa’s National Dialogue”.

As the curtain comes down on the 2025 Varsity Netball season, North-West University (NWU) captain Martine Jordaan says the team is ready to leave everything on the court in their bid to lift the championship trophy when they face the University of the Free State (UFS) in the final in Bloemfontein on 29 September.

The final offers the NWU a chance to avenge their heavy 83–59 defeat to UFS in round five of the tournament, a result that fuelled their determination and sharpened their focus.