The inaugural 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings for the sub-Saharan Africa region place the North-West University (NWU) among the top seven institutions in the region.

The vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), Prof. Mzubanzi Bismark Tyobeka, is representing the university at the 2026 Investing in African Mining Indaba, taking place from 9 to 12 February at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).

President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver his 2026 State of the Nation (SONA) address on Thursday 12 February, and he will do so in a world starkly different from that of a year ago. Political uncertainty, strained international relations and domestic pressures mean the president is operating in a political climate that is no longer simmering but rapidly reaching boiling point.

The North-West University (NWU) recently hosted the deputy minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Mimmy Gondwe, and officials from the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), along with representatives from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), as part of a national assessment of the readiness of universities for the 2026 academic year.

Today, the North-West University (NWU) and JB Marks Local Municipality held a strategic engagement aimed at deepening cooperation and advancing shared developmental priorities within the municipal area.

The meeting, hosted at the NWU Potchefstroom Campus, brought together senior leadership from both institutions to reflect on existing collaborations and to chart a forward-looking programme of action that responds to the social and economic needs of local communities.

Ahead of the opening of the 2026 academic year, Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela led a high-level oversight visit to the North-West University. Joined by Waseem Carrim, the acting chief executive of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and senior Department of Higher Education officials, the minister assessed infrastructure, student accommodation, funding systems and campus safety.

The 4 to 2 majority decision by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on 29 January to pause its interest rate easing cycle and leave the repo rate unchanged for now was widely expected.

Prof. Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, says the MPC majority view provided a plausible case as to why it was considered necessary to further entrench inflationary expectations amid ongoing global uncertainty before making a further cut in borrowing costs for businesses and consumers.

South Africa’s celebrated matric pass rates do not reflect the reality of a “leaking pipeline” that serves neither the country’s ailing economy nor the future prospects of matriculants.

At the centre of this dilemma is what might be called a pass-rate hostage crisis. Schools, under pressure to maintain high headline results, increasingly steer weaker learners away from gateway subjects, most notably Mathematics, to protect their overall performance figures.

The North-West University (NWU), a South African public higher education institution, whose policies and rules are governed in accordance with the supreme law of the country – the South African Constitution – has the responsibility and accountability to ensure access and success of students. 

As a public institution, the university recruits and admits qualifying students, regardless of their origin (village/township/town/region), race, religion, or gender.