As part of Biodiversity Month, the NWU is proud to unveil its biodiversity information booklet, "From Soil to Sky: Get to Know Your Campus". This guide showcases the rich and diverse ecosystems thriving across our three campuses.
The North West province of South Africa sits on a bedrock of riches. From platinum to chrome, vanadium to gold, the region is among the most mineral-endowed in the world. Yet its communities remain scarred by poverty and unemployment, relics of a resource economy too often divorced from local benefit. For a province where mines dominate both the landscape and livelihoods, the need to convert mineral wealth into long-term skills, jobs and technological leadership is a necessity.
As Starlink’s vast constellation of satellites traverse the sky in low-Earth orbit, they evoke wonder and awe in those gazing up at the night heavens. Science fiction has become technological reality. Yet, for South Africans, the benefits remain as distant as the stars beyond our solar system.
The North-West University (NWU) continues to strengthen its international networks in line with its strategy, Taking the NWU forward: 2024 and beyond. Central to this vision is the commitment of the institution to global partnerships, academic excellence and societal impact.
As the North-West University (NWU) embraces its new strategy, Taking the NWU forward: 2024 and beyond, another global ranking has reaffirmed the university’s place among the top seven in South Africa.
Research is at a crossroads, but the choice facing researchers is clear: make a difference to the world’s most pressing problems or be relegated to irrelevance.
“We are reminded that the decisions we make regarding the type of research we prioritise will either be the turning point towards a more sustainable and equitable world, or a missed opportunity by which history will judge us harshly,” said Prof. Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU) at the opening of NWU Research and Innovation (R&I) Week.
Two places on the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans list for 2025 have been filled by education academics associated with the North-West University (NWU).
They are Dr Makhura Benjamin Rapanyane, a senior lecturer in political studies and international relations at the NWU, and Dr Monicca Thulisile Bhuda, an NWU alumnus and lecturer at the University of Mpumalanga.
Both were recognised in the education category of the 200 Young South Africans list.
A dedicated team of third-year law students from the North-West University (NWU), representing the NWU team, won their first-ever annual Juta Mock Trials competition. The NWU team, consisting of members across all three campuses of the NWU, argued for the state in the final round of the competition against the Potchefstroom second-year law team, who were representing the defence in an robbery case.
Neighbours share more than fences, and neighbouring countries more than borders. This is especially true for the relationship between South Africa and Botswana. In the theatre of southern African politics, South Africa and Botswana share more than just a 2 000 km border: they share intertwined fates.
North-West University (NWU) academics Prof Kgaugelo Lekota from the School of Biological Sciences and Prof Lebo Gafane-Matemane from the Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART) were recipients of Research Excellence Awards for Early Career/Emerging Researchers at the 2025 National Research Foundation (NRF) Awards.