The overarching message from the principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), Prof Bismark Tyobeka, was one of optimism, gratitude and determination during the official opening of the 2024 academic year on Friday, 23 February.

The official ceremony took place at the Potchefstroom Campus, with a live broadcast to the Mahikeng and Vanderbijlpark campuses.

It was a fun-filled, educational, and fascinating day for the first-year engineering students, with activities varying from learning a novel word in a different language to answering the question: “Why did you choose to study Engineering?” in their mother tongue. As these students come from multilingual societies that practise translanguaging, they could communicate relatively effortlessly with one another.

On Friday, 16 February 2024, the North-West University (NWU) went live with the first phase of the Student Information System (SIS) project as it launched the NWU Student Client Relations Management (Nexus CRM) module, ushering in a new chapter in the history of the university.

“We are on a journey.” Duncan Raftesath’s elbows are resting on the desk in front of him, his hands clasped together, and as he speaks, his smile widens. “We are on a very exciting journey,” the project manager of NWU Enterprises reaffirms with contagious energy.

If all goes according to plan, the expedition that Duncan Raftesath is referring to will pending Council approval – lead to the establishment of NWU Enterprises (Pty) Ltd within a year.

For the past seven years, the Hillensberg Trust has made the dreams of several North-West University (NWU) students come true.

Celeste Rossouw, acting director for development and fundraising explains that the trust increased its grant amount by one million, which means this year the NWU can put four million to good use to assist approximately 35 students.

Professor Waldo Krugell, an economist at the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the North-West University (NWU), looks ahead at what to expect when the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, delivers the 2024 Budget speech on 21 February.

Excellence seems to follow the Graphic Design subject group at the North-West University (NWU), which has a well-deserved reputation for walking off with the top honours in national and international competitions.

They are continuing this winning streak with top positions in the recently released Loeries official rankings for Africa and the Middle East. These rankings have placed the NWU among the top four educational institutions for 2023.

Using the name uMkhonto weSizwe is to a large degree unethical.

The ANC must produce statesmen, not politicians.

He’s back, and as controversial as ever. The reemergence of former South African president, Jacob Zuma as a political role player is causing the party he once led no shortage of headaches at a time when they can least afford it.

The 2024 national election is going to be a watershed moment for the governing ANC, but their grip on power is slipping as coalition parties have their sights set on unseating the three-decades long incumbent.

There is still much “unfinished business” on the national agenda, including a more coherent overall economic plan for much higher job-rich inclusive growth.

In commenting on the 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA), Prof Raymond Parsons, economist from the North-West University (NWU) Business School, points out that, as expected, prior to the 2024 elections the SONA was inevitably largely a party-political statement and also took stock of the government’s achievements over the decades.

Research into radiation technology is crucial for advancing industrial applications, enhancing safety, improving efficiency and enabling new technological innovations and solutions, especially in a country such as South Africa.