Thabang Motswaledi
The ongoing African tour by Pope Leo XIV has drawn global attention, positioning the continent as a key player in international relationships and peacebuilding efforts at a time when several regions continue to face conflict, governance pressures and social divisions.
While many developing countries are still in the early stages of establishing governance frameworks for Artificial Intelligence (AI), NWU master’s student Lebogang Marago is advocating for its responsible and secure use.
Born in a rural community in the Ventersdorp region, where young people face high unemployment and limited prospects, Lebogang was motivated to ask deeper questions about governance, development, inequality and policy making.
Twelve years ago, Prof. Liezl van Dyk, executive dean of the Faculty of Engineering, came to the North-West University (NWU) on a mission: to play a central role in developing industrial engineering as an impactful discipline at the university. Her daughter, Karla, was 10 years old at the time. Now, on 31 March this year, Prof. van Dyk experienced the fruits of her labour first-hand when Karla graduated as an industrial engineer.
Few questions worry prospective students and their parents more today than whether a university degree is still worth it.
In a country facing crippling unemployment, the rise of artificial intelligence and mounting financial pressures, prospective students and their parents are re-evaluating whether the once-coveted university degree is still worth pursuing.
In the 2016 Hollywood actioner The Accountant, Ben Affleck plays a forensic accountant who also happens to be a mercenary, devastatingly effective with every manner of weapon in hand.
It sounds like an exaggerated cure for our country’s financial woes.
The opportunity to learn from some of South Africa’s top scholars is a major advantage for up-and-coming academics who participate in the Future Professors Programme (FPP), a national initiative.
One such academic is Prof. Thembinkosi Malevu, an associate professor in the subject group Physics at the North-West University (NWU). He joined the FPP in January 2024 for its current two-year cycle.
North-West University (NWU) academic Prof Patrick Tchepmo Djomegni, Associate Professor in Applied Mathematics has added an important scholarly contribution to the field of applied mathematics with the completion of his new book on mathematical modelling techniques, a project that reflects both academic excellence and deep personal meaning.
Roughly 384 400 km from the pale blue dot we call Earth hangs an orb that has fascinated humanity for millennia. The Moon is our planet’s only natural satellite and is about a quarter of Earth’s size. Only 12 people set foot on it between 1969 and 1972, but more than 50 years later the Artemis programme aims to add to that number.
In early March, NASA’s Artemis II mission will carry four astronauts on a lunar flyby during a 10-day trip, with later missions set to put feet back on the Moon’s surface.
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 North-West University (NWU) begins 2026 on a positive trajectory, recording a notable improvement in the Computer Science subject group of the Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings by Subject. This latest ranking underscores the continued commitment of the university to academic excellence and global relevance.
In the most recent THE Rankings by Subject, which was published on 21 January, the rankings place the Computer Science offerings of the NWU in the 601 to 800 group globally, while it featured in the 801 to 1 000 position last year.