By Sandile Mahlangu

The North-West University (NWU) Museum celebrated International Museum Day on 18 May at the NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus.

The single largest investment in nutrition leadership development ever on the African continent is bearing fruit, and the North-West University (NWU) is playing an important part in it.

The Leadership Development for Accelerated Progress in Nutrition in Nigeria (LEDA-NN) project of R20 million, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is driving change in nutrition, food systems and health in Nigeria.

The North-West University (NWU) appreciates the essential work of non-profit organisations (NPOs) and their impact on support provided to surrounding communities. The university extends an invitation to all its existing community partners as well as all other local NPOs ― including schools, faith-based and local government organisations – to register for the Community Stakeholder Forum meeting.

Berries for export are a juicy market and could become even more so if berry farmers have partners such as the North-West University (NWU).

Wanting to see first-hand how a potential partnership could bear fruit for economic growth in the province, a top-level NWU delegation recently visited the Madikwe Berry Farm.

The inaugural meeting of those working in unified communications (integrators of various communication tools and services) and audiovisual disciplines was a resounding success.

More than 60 delegates from 19 universities and various vendors attended this special interest group* meeting on 13 and 14 April at the North-West University (NWU) Business School in Potchefstroom. The meeting presented a valuable opportunity for networking through shared experiences and insights.

South Africa’s power crisis, exacerbated by frequent power cuts, came under the spotlight as the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Business School invited experts to mark the new electricity minister’s 100 days in office.

President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed Kgosientsho “Sputla” Ramokgopa to the new post to focus on loadshedding. The president also declared a state of disaster to deal decisively with the electricity crisis; a decision he would later reverse in the face of legal challenges from various quarters.

The continued climb of the North-West University (NWU) in global rankings has taken it to the top 4,4% of global universities. This is according to the 2023 edition of the Global 2000 list of rankings published by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR). It is an improvement from being in the top 4,5% for 2022/2023 and in the top 4,7% in the 2021/2022 edition of the rankings.

This impressive achievement was published on 15 May on the cwur.org website. The NWU was ranked according to academic performance among 20 531 universities worldwide.

A study by the University of Vienna, in collaboration with researchers from South Africa and the United Kingdom, is investigating the different emotional responses bilingual people have towards swear words in their different languages. The study will focus on English-Afrikaans bilingualism, examining the perceptions of swear words and swearing behaviors of English-Afrikaans bilinguals in South Africa. The study aims to measure complex bilingualism and understand why some words may be considered acceptable in one language but not in another.

Promoting indigenous African languages as a medium of instruction is imperative if we want to preserve our cultural heritage, improve learning outcomes and reduce language barriers. This was again evident during the 2023 BAQONDE congress, which was held at the North-West University (NWU) from 1 to 5 May.

On request of the family of the late Prof Dan Kgwadi, former principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), a memorial service to honour him was held on 4 May 2023 at the Mahikeng Campus.

Prof Kgwadi passed away on 30 April 2023.

Many speakers paid tribute to him during the memorial service, describing him as a visionary leader who was committed to making a difference in the lives of students and the wider community.