By Prof Linda du Plessis

Two leading scholars from the North-West University (NWU) took centre stage at the International Conference on Emerging Trends in Psychosocial Well-being (ETPW2025), hosted by the University of Namibia. Their contributions highlighted the critical link between decent jobs, mental health and human flourishing – issues at the heart of national productivity and sustainable development.

South Africa’s pursuit of sustainable development remains uneven, with economic growth often taking precedence over environmental and social considerations, and while laws and policies highlight sustainability, practice tells a different story.

“Economic growth dominates the discourse,” said Dr Fredua Agyemang, a postdoctoral research fellow under the SARChI Chair: Cities, Law and Environmental Sustainability at the North-West University (NWU).

“Social sustainability is often reduced to consultation exercises, and environmental concerns are treated as secondary.”

In a joint effort to strengthen digital capability, the office of the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning, AI Hub, Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and the People and Culture division launched an innovative incentive programme to encourage North-West University (NWU) academic staff to complete an AI and Assessment course.

A recent visit by North-West University (NWU) Professors Ephrem Redda and Prof Marko van Deventer to the Nicolaus Copernicus University (NCU) in Toruń, Poland represented a significant step in strengthening international academic collaboration.

Hosted by the NCU’s Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management, the visit underlined the importance of cross-institutional partnerships in higher education and demonstrated the potential for meaningful scholarly exchange and cooperation.

Book launches represent important academic milestones. On 23 September 2025, the Faculty of Theology at the North-West University (NWU) hosted a book launch and celebration that highlighted the value of international research and academic exchange.

North-West University (NWU) extraordinary professor Linda Godfrey has been elected as an International Fellow of the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) in the United Kingdom.

This is the second key role she has had within the ambit of the RAEng. For the past four years, Prof Godfrey has served on the Board of the Academy’s Safer End of Engineered Life Programme, which aims to improve safety in the decommissioning of engineering products, structures and infrastructure.

By Gofaone Motsamai

While tourism remains one of South Africa’s biggest economic growth areas, little research has been done to investigate the travel habits of black city dwellers who are a fast-growing sector of the market.

Step up Kamohelo Lempe, a second-year MA Tourism candidate at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus, who is charting new territory in South African tourism research.

The Constitutional Court’s recent decision in Jordaan and Others v Minister of Home Affairs has reshaped how South Africans approach surname changes after marriage. The judgment declared sections of the Births and Deaths Registration Act unconstitutional for restricting surname changes to women, finding that the provisions reinforced outdated assumptions about family identity.

At a time when the role of higher-education institutions (HEIs) is increasingly tied to their relevance and impact in society, alumni have emerged as one of the most vital stakeholders in driving institutional success and community development.